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NJSWIjY written theoughout. 



MTSTEEIES 



BEE-KEEPING 



EXPLAINED. 



COKTT^IISrilSrG- THE RESULT 

of 

thirty-five years' experience, and directions for using the mot- 
able comb and box-hive, together with the most approved 
methods of propagating the italian bee. 



M.'qUINBY, 

PRACTICAL BEE-KEEPER. 



NEW STEREOTYPED AND ILLUSTRATED EDITION. 



NEW-YORK : 
ORANGE JUDD & COMPANY. 

1866. 






Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1865, by 

M. QU1MBY, 

in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the 

Southern District of New-York. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS— 17 
Description of jueen 17 Drones 19 



Age of queen. , 13 

"Workers 19 

Age of worker 19 



Age of drone 30 

Preparations for swarming 30 

Their nature should be understood.... 30 



CHAPTER II. 

PHYSIOLOGY AND BREEDING.— 22 



Imperfectly understood 22 

When they begin te rear brood 22 

How small colonies begin 23 

Different in large families 23 

Laying 24 

When the eggs hatch 25 

Rough treatment 25 

Time before the young bee commences 

labor 26 

Terms applied to young bees 27 

Time from the egg to mature queen. . 27 
Short cells usually taken for rearing 

queens 29 

When the queen leaves to meet the 

drone 29 

Number of eggs that a queen will lay. 30 



When drones are reared 33 

When queens are reared in swarming 

hives S3 

When queens and drones are destroy- 
ed before swarming 34 

Queen leaves with the first swarm.. .. 35 
What becomes of the bees when no 

swarm issues , 35 

When a young queen takes the place 

of the old one 35 

When large numbers of drones are 

reared 35 

Theory relative to drones 36 

Mr. Wagner's Theory 39 

Mr. Harbison's Theory 40 



CHAPTER III. 



Satisfaction in having no patent 46 

No difficulty in obtaining certificates 

and premiums ..., 47 

Hives furnished for trial 48 

Necessities of the bees 48 

Great discovery for patentrvenders..„ 49 

Principles of different hives 49 

Chamber hive 49 



Suspended hive 50 

Inclined bottom board 50 

Dividing hive 50 

Changeable hive 1 51 

Ventilating hive 54 

Moth proof hive , 54 

Non-S warmer 55 

Common box hive 58 



rv 



COjSTTENTS. 



Proper size of hive 58 

Directions for making box hive 61 

Top of hive not fastened 62 

Best surplus boxes 63 

Directions for making boxes 63 

Guide comb 61 

Some desirable things not found in box 
hive 65 



Movable comb hive 66 

Some of its advantages 67 

Movable comb hive as used by the au- 
thor 68 

Directions for making 63 

Straw hive for wintering bees 73 

Observatory hive 75 



CHAPTER IV. 



BEE PASTURAGE.— 76 



Substitute for pollen 

Substitute for honey 

Manner of packing pollen 

Flowers that yield first pollen 

First honey 

Fruit flowers important 

Ked raspberry a favorite 

Honey from red clover 

Catnip one of the best honey yielding 
plants 

Singular fatality attendant on. Silk- 
weed 

Bass-wood very important 

Honey-dew 

Unusual secretion 



Buckwheat 89 

Do bees injure the grain?., 89 

Bees necessary to insure a crop 90 

Two kinds of pollen stored in one cell 92 

No test of the presence of a queen 93 

Bee-bread seldom packed in drone cells 94 

Manner of discharging pollen 94 

Discharging honey 94 

Some cells contain honey for daiiy use 95 

Combs constructed as needed 96 

Best season for honey 96 

How many stocks may be kept 97 

Principal sources of honey 99 

Distance a bee will go for honey 100 



CHAPTER V. 

THE APIART — 100 



Location 100 

Location marked 102 

Should not be moved 102 

Space between stands 103 

Small matters 103 

Cheap stand 104 

Disadvantage of standing too high. . . .105 



Best cover 107 

Bee-house unprofitable 107 

Some will have them 107 

Hives should be of different colors 107 

Replacing queens 109 

Several bee-houses - ill 



CHAPTER VL 

ROBBING.-113 



Not understood 113 

Difficulty in deciding 115 

Weak colonies in danger 115 

When to look out for robbers 116 



First indications 117 

Remedies 118 

Equalization 120 

Battles 121 



CHAPTER VII 

FEEDING.-122 

Feeding a last resort 122 Manner of feeding 126 

Care 123 Object in feeding 127 

Destitute colonies sometimes desert.. .124 Promiscuous feeding unprofitable 129 

When they must be fed 124 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

DESTRUCTION OF THE MOTH WORM.-129 

Some in best stocks 129 Moth proof hive not made ....134 

Fear of the bee 130 Box for wren 135 

How destroyed 131 

CHAPTER IX. 

PUTTING ON AND TAKING OFF BOXES— 135 



Must not be put on too early 135 

Making holes after the hive is full . . .137 

Boxes may be too easy of access 133 

A better way 139 

Advantage of glass-boxes 139 

When to takeoff 140 



How to get rid of the beea 141 

Bees not disposed to sting ..141 

To secure honey from worms 143 

The way the worms get in 144 

Remedy 145 



CHAPTER X. 

SWARMING— 146 



Knowledge necessary 146 

When swarming commences 147 

Indications 148 

Care in examining hives 149 

Preparations for swarming 150 

When swarms issue 151 

Why drones are sometimes killed in 

spring 152 

Which bees issue 153 

The old queen leaves. .- 153 

Hives should be ready 154 

Immediate indications of a swarm.... 154 

Swarm clusters 155 

Howto do it 155 

All should be made to enter 159 

Carry to the stand 160 

Putin movable comb hive 160 

Shade important 160 

Clustering bushes .' 161 

Loss by flight 162 

Nothing but bees necessary in a hive. .163 
Do they select a home before swarm- 
ing? 164 

How far will they go ? 164 

One first swarm has bees enough 165 



How to keep separate 168 

Cannot be stopped when parts are on 

the way 167 

How to divide 157 

Different process with movable comb- 
hive 171 

Swarms sometimes return 173 

First swarms choose good weather 174 

Exceptions 175 

After-swarms 175 

Their size 175 

When expected 175 

Piping of the Queen 176 

Variation in time of issuing 177 

How after-swarms issue 173 

Number of queens 179 

Do not always choose good weather... 179 

Go farther before alighting 179 

Propriety of returning ISO 

Moth worm troubles small colonies. .. .181 

Uniting 182 

More trouble 182 

Rule 183 

One queen destroys others 184 



C H AP T E R XL 

ARTIFICIAL SWARMS— 185 



Perplexities 185 

Work well 185 

Do it in season 186 

First experience 185 

Howto make artificial swarms ,..183 

Manner of placing the stands 189 



Operations with movable combs easy. 191 
One division will make drone comb.. .191 

Too many drone combs for profit 192 

Honey made in boxes in the hive 192 

Boxes transferred and finished on an- 
other hive 193 



Queen-cell, to introduce 190 Time for queen to lay., .; 193 



VI 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER XII. 



LOSS OF QUEENS.-195 



When lost by swarms 195 

Drone-comb. 193 

Speculations .195 

Disputed question 196 

A multitude of drones needed 197 

When the loss occurs 193 

Time of leaving varies.. 199 

Indication of loss 200 



Kesult 200 

Age of bees 201 

Duty 201 

Remedy 201 

Mark date of swarm 203 

Other remedies 203 

Indications of loss in early spring..... 203 



CHAPTER XIII. 

PRUNING— 20S 



Seldom necessary 205 

The time 205 

Difficulty in driving in cool weather. ..207 



Best time 207 

Little risk of stings 209 

Frequent pruning not recommended. .209 



CHAPTER XIV. 

DISEASED BROOD— 210 



What is it? 210 

Italians less affected 210 

Where found 211 

When first discovered 211 

Description 211 

Remedies attempted 212 



Supposed cause 212 

How it spreads 216 

Theory 217 

Caution .218 

Examination. 218 

Assumed knowledge 220 



CHAPTER XV. 

ANGER OF BEES.-221 



Causes of irritability 221 

How they make an attack 223 

Never irritable when after honey 223 

Smoker described 231 

Italians less docile 225 



Bee-charms unreliable 225 

Sting 226 

Does its loss prove fatal ? 226 

Protection 227 

Remedies for stings 227 



CHAPTER XVI. 



ENEMIES OF BEES.-22S 



Rats and mice 229 

A word for King-bird 229 

Chickens will eat drones 230 

Cat-bird acquitted 230 

Toad 231 

Black wasp 232 

Ants— a word in their favor 232 

Spiders 234 

Moth 234 

Where their eggs are deposited 235 



Worms sometimes work in centre of 

comb 237 

Bees mutilated by webs 237 

Bees fastene'd in the cells 238 

Different appearance in old stocks. . .239 
Worms grow larger when undisturbed..240 

Freezing destroys them 241 

Extermination of the moth 241 

Seldom exempt in ordinary manage- 
ment 243 

Remedies 244 



COOTEOTS. vn 

CHAPTER XVII. 

WAX.-245 

WTiat is it ? 246 Making drone-cells 251 

How it is obtained 246 Some wax wasted 251 

Commencement of a comb 247 Water necessary. 252 

Orooked combs 250 Cells uniform in size 252 

Straight combs 250 Melting of combs 254 

Quantity of honey taken by a swarm. .250 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

PROPOLIS.— 256 

How obtained 256 New swarms sometimes use wax in- 

How discharged 256 stead 257 

More abundant in August 253 

CHAPTFR XIX. 

TRANSFERRING.— 259 

Preparation 559 Keep brood together..... 260 

Time when 259 Caution 262 

How to do it 200 

CHAPTER XX. 

SAGACITY OF BEES.-263 

Too marvellous 263 No part of the hive inaccessible 265 

Instances of sagacity 264 We should be content with facts 266 

CHAPTER XXI. 

SELECTING COLONIES FOR WINTER— 265 

First care 206 Season to operate 271 

Strong colonies inclined to rob 267 Paralyzing bees 271 

Requisites of good stocks 267 Description of fumigatior 271 

Disadvantage to kill bees 268' How to operate 272 

Cause of poor colonies varies in differ- How bees were wintered in a scarcity 

ent sections 26S of honey 274 

Poor stocks may be united 269 Advantage of transferring 274 

When it is not best 269 Uniting comb, honey, and bees 275 

Two swarms united, eat less then when When it is best to feed 277 

separate 270 

CHAPTER XXII. 

STRAINING HONEY AND WAX— 279 

Removing combs .279 Making wax 282 

How to strain 279 Quantity wasted 282 

Metheglln and vinegar >, 281 Large quantities 285 

Feeding refuse honey 281 

CHAPTER XXIII 

WINTERING BEES— 2S4 

Different methods 284 Setting out 297 

Warmth requisite 284 A building for the purpose 298 

Size of colony 235 Room in dwelling house 298 



"vni 



CONTENTS. 



Promotion of warmth 2S5 

Moisture 286 

Causes of starving 287 

Dysentery 287 

Water 292 

Natives of a warm climate 294 

Warm room 294 

Cellar preferred 295 

Housing 296 



Burying bees 299 

Straw hives 300 

Philosophy 300 

Straw top 300 

Simple bos 304 

M ice 304 

Shade , 305 

Lost on snow 305 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

THE ITALIAN OR LIGUIilAN BEE.-308 



Reputation 308 

Importers 308 

Superiority 303 

When first obtained 309 

Object 310 

Peculiarities 311 

Longer lived 312 

Robbing 313 

Disposition 314 

Swarming 315 

Hive crowded with bees in cool 

weather 317 

Remedy 317 

Purity to be secured 318 

Variation in color of queens 319 



Susceptible of improvement 

Neighbors join in purchasing queens. 

Mix three miles distant 

Colony to furnish drones 

Method of Italianizing a whole apiary 

Artificial queens 

How to rear them 

How to obtain bees for rearing queens, 

Black bees as nurses 

Best time to obtain brood 

Finding queen 

Introduction of queen 

Italianizing the box-hive, 

Test of the presence of the queen 
Transporting queen 



CHAPTER XXV. 

PURCHASING STOCKS AND TRANSPORTING BEES.— 3 



Qualification for an apiarian 333 

Luck &33 

Purchase the best 336 



Avoid diseased stocks 338 

Old ones not objectionable 836 

Transporting bees 338 



CHAPTER XXVI 

CONCLUSION.-340 



A. O E . 



One who for thirty-five consecutive years has succeed- 
ed in keeping bees, and has been able, most of that 
time, to count his stocks by hundreds, can hardly fail to 
furnish something from his experience, that will be bene- 
ficial and interesting to others ; and he will doubtless be 
pardoned for attempting to teach those who may desire to 
avail themselves of his knowledge, and thus avoid the 
tedious process of acquiring it for themselves. 

Twelve years ago the author explained some of the 
" Mysteries of Bee-keeping," to the public. The simple, 
practical and comprehensible instructions given, have met 
with abundant favor among old practical bee-keepers, and 
interested thousands who are now keeping bees with de- 
cided success. 

The greater number of bees kept, the increased quantity 
and improved appearance of the honey in our markets, 
encourage the belief that many who have at present no 
adequate conception of the immense annual waste of this 
delicious production, may yet be induced to make an ef- 
fort to save a still greater proportion of it. It will 
not be pretended that such immense numbers of bees may 
be kept in any particular section of the United States, 
as are reported to prosper in some parts of Europe, (2000 
hives to the square mile,) but no one will deny that hun- 
dreds of thousands of stock might be profitably added to 
the present amount. It has been estimated that on an 
average, every acre will produce its pound of honey. 
New York alone contains 30,000,000 acres. Shall we 
suffer this enormous loss of the shifts of a beneficient Crea- 



X PREFACE. 

tor, without an effort to secure to ourselves and the com- 
munity, so valuable and vast a treasure? All that is 
necessary, is sufficient encouragement and knowledge of 
the subject. 

Enough has already been done to show that the estimate 
is sufficiently near the truth to be taken as a base for fu- 
ture calculations. An area of a few square miles in the 
writer's vicinity, has, in some favorable seasons, furnished 
for market over 20,000 lbs. surplus honey. Had a propor- 
tional quantity been collected in all other places in the 
United States, we could count the proceeds by millions 
of dollars instead of a few hundreds or thousands. 

The author does not offer this improved edition because 
he supposes that people would be unable to keep bees 
without it, but with the hope that those who are already 
doing well, may do better. A person who wishes to make 
the most ]DOssible from his bees can hardly afford to dis- 
pense with the benefit of any experience that will aid him. 
The instructions found in the periodicals of the day are 
often not to be depended upon. A score of bee-keepers, 
each of limited experience, will give as many different 
methods, and an editor equally inexperienced, is usually 
unable to discriminate between them. The simplest di- 
rections of a reliable practical bee-keeper who studies the 
science with an honest enthusiasm, are invaluable to the 
tyro in apiarian knowledge. 

To benefit the largest possible class, the author has en- 
deavored to be practical rather than scientific, and has 
aimed at no elegance of style or diction, preferring that 
the merit of the book should lie in its simplicity and 
reliability. M. QUINBY, 

St. Johnsville, JV. Z, April, I860. 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 

QueenBee 17 

Regard of the Worker for the Queen 18 

Worker Bee 19 

Drone Bee 20 

Brood from a Drone Queen in Worker Cells 37 

Comb showing the different shape of Cells, when an attempt is made to raise 

Queens from Drone Brood 38 

Ovaries of the Queen 41 

Roof. 65 

Simple movable Cornb Hive 69 

Movable Frame 70 

Wire braces to support Frames 70 

Honey Board 71 

Straw Hive for Winter 74 

Bee House 10S 

Bee House 110 

Bee House Ill 

Hives arranged in a hedge 113 

Feeder -— — 126 

Worm Gallery in the Comb 130 

Moth-worm 130-240 

Tool for killing Worms 131 

Cluster of Queen Cells 150 

Bag for Hiving Bees 158 

Frames to hold Boxes inside the Hive 192 

Tools for Pruning 208 

Bee Hat 227 

Bee Molh 235 

Worm Gallery removed from the, Comb 237 

Cocoons of the Moth Worm 240 

Abdomen of the Bee, enlarged, showing the scales of Wax 247 

Piece used to steady the Combs in Transportation and Transferring ». .. 259 

Transferred Combs 261 

Fumigator 272 

Comb containing Brood from which to raise Queens... 323 

No. 34 Inserted in a Comb ready for the rearing box ,...324 

Queen Cells made on such Comb 325 



CHAPTER I. 

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 

Every prosperous swarm or family of bees must con- 
tain one queen, several thousand workers, and part of the 
year, a few hundred drones. 

DESCRIPTION OP QUEEN. 

The Queen is the mother of the entire colony. Her 
only duty seems to be to lay eggs, of which she sometimes 
deposits two thousand in twenty-four hours. In shape, 
she resembles the worker more than the drone, but is 
longer than either, and like the worker possesses a sting, 
but will not use it upon anything below royalty. Her 
color upon the upper side is darker than that of the others ; 
the two posterior legs and under side are 
of a bright copper color. In some of them 
a yellow stripe nearly encircles the ab- 
domen at the joints. All the colors are 
bright and glossy, and she has but little of 
the down or hair that is seen on the drones 
and workers. Different queens vary much 
Fig. 1.— queen. j n co i or? some being much darker than 
others. A still greater variation is presented in the Italian 
queens, most of which are of a rich golden color, while a 
few are even darker than the usual shade of the natives. 

For the first few days after leaving the cell her size is 
much less than after she has assumed her maternal duties. 
She seldom, perhaps never, leaves the hive, except when 
leading out a swarm, and when but a few days old to meet 
the drone for the purpose of fecundation. 




18 



INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 
AGE OF QUEENS — THEIR OFFICE. 



The average age attained by the queen is about three 
years. The idea that the queen governs the colony, and 
directs all their operations, is probably totally erroneous. 
They manifest a certain regard and affection for her, how- 




Fig. 2. — REGARD OF THE WORKERS FOR THE QUEEN. 

ever, and a half dozen or so may often be seen gathered 
around her, as shown in the accompanying cut. They 
will, when destitute of a queen, continue their labors with as 
much system and regularity, as when one is present, although 
she is necessary to insure their permanent prosperity. 




INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 19 

WORKERS. 

All labor devolves on the Workers. These are provided 
with a sac or bag for gathering honey, and basket-like 
cavities on their posterior legs in which to pack the pollen 
of the flowers in little pellets for carrying 
it home to the hive. They range the fields 
for honey and pollen, secrete wax, construct 
combs, prepare food to nurse the young, 
bring water, obtain propolis to seal up all 
Fig.3. worker, crevices and flaws about the hive, stand guard 
to keep out intruders, etc. 

Huber and some others divide the workers into classes, 
such as wax-workers, pollen-gatherers, nurses, etc., but it 
is very difficult to believe that any such distinctions exist. 
For the defence of their treasures and themselves, they 
are provided with a sting and a virulent poison, but will not 
use it when abroad, if unmolested ; they volunteer an at- 
tack only when near the hive. They are all females with 
undeveloped organs of generation, yet they possess enough 
of the maternal instinct to make them good nurses for the 
brood of the real mother. For nearly two weeks after the 
young worker emerges from its cell, it is almost exclusive- 
ly engaged within the hive ; thereafter, it assists in collect- 
ing stores. 

AGE OF THE WORKER. 

Its age varies from one to eight months, according to 
the season in which it is hatched. In the busiest season it 
lives but a few weeks, but when hatched at the beginning 
of cool weather, its life is extended several months. 

DRONES. 

The Drones are the males; their bodies are large and 
clumsy, and without the symmetry of the queen and worker. 
Their buzzing when on the wing is loud, and different from 




20 INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 

that of the workers. They have no sting, and may be 
taken in the fingers with impunity. They 
seem to be of the least valuable class in the 
bee community ; they assist sometimes, in 
keeping up the necessary animal heat in the 
hive; but one only, out of thousands, is ac- 
tually serviceable in fecundating the queen. 
The number reared depends upon the 

Fig. 4.— drone, strength of the colony, and the stores on 

hand or being collected. 

AGE OF DRONES. 

Whenever a scarcity of honey occurs, they are all des- 
troyed. Thus their life is very precarious, being sometimes 
limited to a few hours, or extended to a few days, weeks or 
months ; but averaging much less than that of the workers. 

PREPARATIONS FOR SWARMING. 

In the spring and early part of summer, when nearly all 
the combs are empty, and food is abundant, the bees rear 
brood more extensively than at any other period. The 
hive soon becomes crowded with bees, and royal cells are 
constructed, in which to raise queens. When some of 
these young queens are sufficiently advanced to be sealed 
over, the old one, and the greater part of the workers, 
leave for a new location, (termed swarming,) leaving those 
remaining to maintain the prosperity of the hive. They 
soon collect in a cluster, and if put into an empty hive, 
commence anew their labors, constructing combs, rearing 
brood, and storing honey, to be abandoned the following 
year, as before. 

THE NATURE OF BEES SHOULD BE UNDERSTOOD. 

We should fully understand that the nature of the bee, 
found under any circumstances, climate, or condition, is 
the same. Instincts first implanted by the Creator, have 



INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 21 

come unimpaired through millions of generations to the 
present clay, and will continue unchanged. 

To gratify our acquisitiveness, we have forced them to 
labor under every disadvantage ; yes, we have compelled 
them to sacrifice their industry, their prosperity, and even 
their lives, but they have never yielded their instincts. We 
may destroy life, but cannot improve or change their na- 
ture ; the laws that govern them are fixed and immutable. 

Spring returns to its annual task, dissolves the frost and 
warms into life nature's dormant powers. Flowers, with 
a smile of joy expand their delicate petals in grateful 
thanks, while the stamens sustain upon their tapering 
points the anthers covered with the fertilizing pollen, and 
the pistil springs from a cup of liquid nectar, and the 
delicious fragrance imparted to every breeze, invites the 
bee as with a thousand tongues to the sumptuous ban- 
quet. She does not need any stimulus from man as an 
inducement to partake of the feast ; without his aid she 
visits each cup of wasting sweetness, and secures the tiny 
drop, while the superabundant farina, dislodged from the 
nodding anthers, covers her body to be brushed together 
and kneaded into bread. All she requires at the hand of 
man, is a suitable storehouse for her treasures. 

Industry is a part of bee nature. If, when their tenement 
is supplied with all things necessary to take them safely 
through the winter, and there is no necessity for continued 
labor, we furnish them additional room, they assiduously 
toil to fill it up. Rather than to pass their time in idleness, 
during a bounteous yield of honey, they will sometimes 
deposit their surplus in combs outside of the hive, or under 
the stand. This inherent industry lies at the foundation 
of all the advantages in bee-keeping, consequently our 
hives must be constructed with this end in view ; but at 
the same time we must not interfere with other require- 
ments of their nature. Their peculiar traits mentioned in 



22 PHYSIOLOGY AND BREEDING. 

this chapter, Avill be more fully discussed in different parts 
of this work, as appears to be called for, where proof 
will be offered to sustain the positions here assumed, 
which are as yet mere assertions. 



CHAPTER II. 

PHYSIOLOGY AND BREEDING. 

IMPERFECTLY UNDERSTOOD. 



Comparatively few people have a very definite idea 
of the time and manner of rearing brood. Many persons 
who have kept bees for years have bestowed so little 
attention upon this point that they are unable to tell 
at what time they commence, how they progress, or 
when they cease. They have an idea that one swaivm, 
and occasionally two or three, is reared sometime in 
June, or the early part of summer, and this comprises their 
whole knowledge of the subject. Whether the drones 
deposit the eggs, or some of the workers are females, and 
each raises one or two, or the " king bee " is a common 
parent of the eggs, is quite beyond their ability to decide. 
It is hardly necessary to inform observing apiarians that 
the queen is the mother of the whole family. 

WHEN THEY BEGIN TO REAR BROOD. 

The period at which she commences depositing eggs 
probably depends on the strength of the colony, amount 
of honey on hand, etc., and not ujDon the time when gath- 
ering food begins. Strong colonies frequently begin to 
rear brood by Christmas. When sweeping out the 
litter under the hives as early as the first of March, young 
bees may often be found under the best stocks. Observa- 



PHYSIOLOGY AND BREEDING. 23 

tion shows that there is but little time when our best 
colonies have no brood — seldom more than two months. 
Yet stocks when very weak do not commence until warm 
weather. It seems that a certain degree of warmth is 1 
necessary to perfect the brood, and this a small family 
can not generate. 

HOW BREEDING IS DONE IN SMALL COLONIES. 

In a small family, the first eggs are deposited in the centre 
of the cluster of bees ; it may not- be in the centre of the 
hive hi all cases, but the middle of the cluster wherever it 
chances to be located, is the warmest place. Here the 
queen will commence ; a space not larger than a dollar is 
first used, and the cells exactly opposite on the same comb 
are next occupied. If there is sufficient warmth "in the 
hive, produced either by warm weather or generated by 
the bees, she will then fill a spot on the adjoining combs 
corresponding with the first, but not quite as large. The 
circle of eggs in the first comb is then enlarged, and more 
added to the next, and so on, continuing to spread, and 
keeping the distance from the center to the outside of the 
space occupied by eggs about equal on all sides, until they 
occupy the entire surface of the comb. Long before the 
outer edge is occupied, the first eggs deposited are ma- 
tured, and the queen returns to the centre and uses these 
cells again, but she is not as particular this time to fill so 
many in exact order as at first, though with the Italian 
queen the brood is always very compact. This is the gen- 
eral process with small families. I have removed the bees 
from such in all stages of breeding, and have always found 
their proceedings as described. 

THE PROCESS DIFFERENT IN LARGE FAMILIES. 

Tn very large families their proceedings are different. 
As any part of the cluster of bees is warm enough for 



J 



k 



24 PHYSIOLOGY AND BREEDING. 

breeding, there is less necessity for economizing heat, and 
coilfining all the eggs to one small spot, and some unoccu- 
pied cells will be found among the brood, and a few will 
contain honey and bee-bread. But in the breeding season, 
a circle of cells, an inch or two wide, containing bee- 
bread, borders the sheets of comb containing brood. As 
bee-bread is probably the principal food of the young bee, 
it is thus very convenient. 

LATINO. 

When pollen is abundant, and the swarm is in prosper- 
ous condition, they soon reach the outside sheets of comb 
with the brood. At this period, when the hive is about 
full, and the queen is forced to the outside combs to find a 
place for her eggs, it is interesting to witness her opera- 
tions in a glass hive. I have seen her several times in one 
day on a piece of comb next the glass. The light has no 
immediate effect upon her, as she will quietly continue 
about her duty, not the least embarrassed by curious eyes 
at the window. I have frequently lifted out a comb on 
which an Italian queen was engaged in laying, without 
interrupting her in the least. Before depositing an egg 
she enters the cell head first, probably to ascertain if it is 
in proper condition, as a cell part filled with bee-bread or 
honey is never used. When a cell is ready to receive the 
egg, on withdrawing her head, she immediately curves her 
abdomen, and inserts it. After a few seconds she leaves 
the cell, when an egg may be seen attached by one end to 
the bottom. It is about one-sixteenth of an inch in length, 
slightly curved, very small, nearly uniform the whole length, 
abruptly rounded at the ends, semi-transparent, and cov- 
ered with a very thin and delicate coat, which will often 
break at the slightest touch. 



PHYSIOLOGY AND BREEDING. 25 

WHEN THE EGGS HATCH. 

After the egg has been in the cell about three days, a 
small white worm may be seen coiled in the bottom, sur- 
rounded by a milk-like substance, which, without doubt, 
is its food. How this food is prepared is mere conjecture. 
The supposition is that is chiefly composed of pollen ; this 
is strongly indicated by the quantity which accumulates 
in hives that lose their queen and rear no brood — that is, 
when a requisite number of workers is left. The workers 
may be seen entering the cell every few minutes, probably 
to supply this food. When the comb in the glass hive is 
new and white, these operations can be seen more distinct- 
ly than when it is old and dark. 

In about six days after the worm hatches, it is sealed 
over with a convex waxen lid. It is now hidden from our 
sight for about twelve days, when it bites off the cover, 
and comes forth a perfect bee. The period from the egg 
to the perfect bee varies from twenty to twenty-four days, 
averaging about twenty-one for workers, and twenty-four 
for drones. The temperature of the hive will vary some- 
what with the atmosphere ; it is also governed by the 
number of bees. A low temperature probably retards 
the development, while a high one facilitates it. 

BOUGH TREATMENT OF THE YOUNG BEES. 

There have been some amusing accounts of the assiduous 
attentions given to the young bee when it first emerges 
from the cell. It is said that " they lick it all over, feed 
it with honey," etc., as if wonderfully pleased with their 
acquisition. If any one expects to see any thing of this 
kind, he must watch a little closer than I have. I have 
seen hundreds when biting their way out, and instead of 
care or attention, they often receive rather rough treat- 
ment. The workers intent on other matters, will some- 
times come in contact with one part way out of the cell, 
2 



26 PHYSIOLOGY AND BREEDING. 

with force sufficient to almost dislocate its neck, yet they 
do not stop to see if any harm is done, or to beg pardon. 
The little sufferer, after this rude lesson, scrambles back as 
soon as possible out of the way, enlarges the prison door 
a little, and again attempts to emerge, with perhaps the 
same result ; a dozen trials are often made before it suc- 
ceeds. When it does leave, it seems like a stranger in a 
multitude, with no friend to counsel, or mother to direct. 
It wanders about uncared for and unheeded, and rarely 
finds one sufficiently benevolent to bestow even the neces- 
saries of life. It is generally forced to learn the important 
lesson of looking out for itself, the day it leaves the cradle. 
A cell containing honey is sought for, where its immediate 
wants are all supplied. 

TIME BEFORE THE YOUNG BEE COMMENCES LABOR. 

Some have said that it would leave the hive for honey 
on the day it left the cell. Since the introduction of 
the Italian, we can determine this point very accurately 
by noting the day when the first one hatches, and also 
when the first one comes home loaded. It is seldom less 
than seven, and quite often fourteen days before they are 
thus seen. Some tell us, too, that after the bees seal over the 
cells containing the larvae, " they immediately commence 
spinning their cocoons, which takes just about thirty-six 
hours.' 7 I think it very likely, but cannot imagine how it 
was determined. I do not possess optical acuteness to 
look into one of these cells after it is sealed over. Sup- 
pose we drive away the bees and open the cell to examine 
the interior : the little insect stops its labor in a moment, 
probably disturbed by the air and light. I never could 
detect one at work. Suppose we open these cells every 
hour after sealing, can we tell any thing about their pro- 
gress by the appearance of these cocoons, or even tell 
when they are finished ? The thickness of a dozen would 



PHYSIOLOGY AND BREEDING. 27 

not exceed that of common writing paper. It would be 
interesting to know how these particulars were ascertained, 
or whether they are simply surmises. When the bee 
leaves the cell, a cocoon remains, and that is about all we 
know concerning it. 

TEEMS APPLIED TO YOUNG BEES. 

The young bee when it first leaves the egg, is termed a 
grub, maggot, worm, or larva / from this state it changes 
to the shape of the perfect bee, which is said to be three 
days after finishing the cocoon. From the time of this 
change, till it is ready to leave the cell, the terms nymph, 
pupa, and chrysalis, are applied. The lid of the drone cell 
is rather more convex than that of the worker, and when 
removed by the young bee in working its way out, is left 
nearly perfect, being cut off around the edges ; a coat or 
lining of silk keeps it whole. The covering of the worker 
cell is mostly wax, and is pretty well cut to pieces by the 
time the bee gets out. The covering to the queen cell is 
like that of the drone cell, but of greater diameter, and 
thicker, being lined with a little more silk. 

TIME FROM THE EGG TO THE MATURE QUEEN. 

The time in which an egg originally destined for a 
queen will mature, will not vary much from sixteen days ; 
but when larva? that are started as workers, are taken, 
there will often be a variation. All of the three kinds 
of bees remain in the egg form three or four days; 
then in the grub form for five or six, partaking of food, 
after which they are sealed up. When bees are deprived 
of a queen, and have means to rear another, they select 
such brood as wiU produce one in the shortest time. 
Give them a piece of comb containing eggs just laid, some 
two or three days old, larva? just hatched, and some vary- 
ing in age from one to five days, and the first cells made 



28 PHYSIOLOGY AND BREEDING. 

will probably be over the larvas about four days old, and 
in ten days a queen will have matured. To insure the 
possession of a queen, they may afterwards begin several 
others, perhaps use some of the eggs, or some that were 
eggs when the comb was given them ; but if the first queen 
hatches, she makes it her business to destroy all immature 
ones. 

SIMILARITY OF QUEEN AND WORKER EGGS. 

The fact that queens raised in this way seem to possess 
all the requisites of those raised in swarming hives, indi- 
cates that the eggs laid in worker and queen cells are all 
alike. It also gives rise to the idea with many modern 
writers, that all eggs for both queens and workers are laid 
in worker cells, and transferred to queen cells token wanted 
there. The antipathy of one queen towards another, al- 
though an immature one, and her own offspring, is thought 
sufficient to prevent her depositing eggs in these cells. 
Now, without sufficient evidence to be able to deny this 
positively, I must content myself with merely expressing 
a disbelief. I would like to say that J do not believe that 
the bees ever remove an egg or larva from a worker to a 
queen cell. For several years I have raised queens artifi- 
cially by the hundred, in small queen boxes. In nearly 
all the boxes, there would be some queen cells in that stage 
of progress when it would be supposed that such transfer 
would be desirable. I have watched diligently and never 
yet discovered it. Whenever a queen has been raised, 
the egg or larva was in the cell when given to the bees, 
and the workers always changed or enlarged a common 
cell to a queen cell. The shape of the cell depends on the 
position of the comb from which it is made ; if from a 
comb with cells of ordinary length, they are enlarged, 
lengthened, and turned downward. If the cells are not 
very deep, or are near the lower edge of the comb 
where there is abundant room to turn them down, 



PHYSIOLOGY AND BREEDING. 29 

the enlargement and change of direction will be made 
very soon after they decide upon making a queen of it. 

SHORT CELLS USUALLY TAKEN FOR REARING QUEENS. 

In swarming hives, whenever the bees decide on rearing 
queens, cells that are short like those on the* lower edge of 
comb not completed, or on the side, seem to be preferred, 
and quite a number are often built close together. 

Mr. Harbison has, I understand, patented the manner 
of introducing the piece of comb containing brood from 
which queens are to be reared. It is simply to place the 
comb with brood in a horizontal position, thus bringing 
the cell vertical, and save the bees the trouble of making 
a crooked cell. The young bee thus stands on its head 
like a young queen, during this period of its existence. 
He does not claim that this makes it a queen, but that 
from the same number of eggs, more queens will be raised. 
I have watched such combs with considerable interest, 
when side by side with a piece of comb placed the other 
way, with abundant room directly underside, without dis- 
covering that a larger number of queens was produced, 
or that they were any larger or better. 

WHEN THE QUEEN LEAVES THE HIVE TO MEET THE DRONE. 

In. about six days after the queen has left her cell, if no 
competitors are in the way, she leaves the hive to meet 
the drone. I presume that it does not make much differ- 
ence whether she has been reared in a large swarming 
hive, or in a small box particularly designed for rearing 
queens. The meeting takes place high in the air. Very 
few have ever pretended that they have witnessed the 
connection. A few years ago, I saw a statement naming 
two individuals who had witnessed it. As one of them 
was a perfect stranger to me, perhaps I ought to qualify 
my opinion, and say that it is possible / but the other one 



30 PHYSIOLOGY AND BREEDING. 

I happen to know is not perfectly reliable in all things, 
and if the truth in this case, is to be established upon his 
testimony, I fear it will lack support. 

The queen upon her return, frequently bears evident 
marks of her connection with the drone, and usually be- 
gins to lay in two days afterwards, and continues through- 
out the season, unless some special interruption occurs. 

NUMBER OF EGGS THAT A QUEEN WILL LAY. 

The number of eggs that she will lay in twenty-four 
hours, is a subject on which all writers do not yet agree, 
probably owing to the fact that the number varies from 
one or two hundred to three thousand. Take a queen 
that has been reared in a small box, and she will soon fill 
all the combs after she begins, and when there is no occasion 
for laying many, there are less deposited. She remains 
small in size, and seems to adapt herself, partially at least, 
to the necessities of the colony ; but this same queen, in- 
troduced to a' strong colony with suitable combs, in a 
honey season, will, in less than a week, greatly increase in 
size, so as hardly to be recognized, and will deposit two 
or three thousand eggs daily. This statement, when first 
heard, is received with a very large margin by almost 
every one: " the thing seems impossible ;" and yet a little 
patient observation convinces the most skeptical. I have 
had a colony in an observatory hive, where every egg de- 
posited could be seen. Visitors have frequently counted 
the eggs as deposited, for ten or fifteen minutes, and all 
have estimated the number laid in twenty-four hours to be 
over three thousand. Mr. Harbison says : " During the 
past season I worked a number of queens to their full ca- 
pacity for producing eggs, in strong colonies, by frequently 
changing combs from which brood had just emerged in 
artificial swarms where the queen had not yet become fer- 
tile, for combs stocked with eggs and larva?, stimulating 



PHYSIOLOGY AND BREEDING. 31 

them constantly by keeping them well supplied with food, 
when honey abroad became scarce. I put two of these 
combs, being, about twelve inches wide, by fifteen or six- 
teen deep, into a strong colony, where the queen was very 
prolific. Over two-thirds of the cells were empty when 
put in, and within four or five days they were all stocked 
with eggs, except a few that were stored with pollen. 
This was by no means a single occurrence. It was 
repeated again, and again, making at least 10,000 eggs 
laid in four or five days." 

A person desirous of approximating to the number 01 
eggs deposited, without being able to actually count them, 
can make an estimate as follows. It will satisfy him that 
a queen is the mother: If we examine a thrifty stock in 
the height of the breeding season we shall find the combs 
filled with brood, amounting frequently to three-quarters 
of all in the hive. By observing the number of cells to 
the square inch, it is easy to get the number to the square 
foot, then multiply this by the number of the combs in a 
hive, and we shall have the whole number of cells. For 
example, a piece of worker comb one inch square contains 
about fifty cells, including those on both sides. At this 
rate, a piece twelve inches square contains over 7000. Sup- 
pose a hive contains eight such combs, and that 120 square 
inches of each comb are used for brood, we have eight 
times 120 square inches of brood — 960 — fifty to the square 
inch would multiply into 48,000 cells. One or two of these 
combs w T ould contain cells for drones, which are a little 
larger, and the number would be thus somewhat reduced. 
Also some might be empty, the young bee having just left 
them, and a few here and there might be occupied with bee- 
bread or honey. Admitting the necessary deduction to be 
one quarter, we would have left 36,000 cells actually occu- 
pied at one time with brood in various stages of develop- 
ment ! We must remember that the time from the egg to 



32 PHYSIOLOGY AND BREEDING. 

the mature bee, is not over twenty-five days at most ; hence 
all that are in the cells now, must have been put there by 
the queen within the last twenty-five days ! This gives an 
average of nearly 1500 per day ! 

It is common to find estimates that a single female will 
lay from 70,000 to 100,000 in a season. One says 90,000 in 
- three months ; most writers are apt to confound the number 
matured with the number laid. Let the number laid be 
what it may, thousands are never perfected. During the 
spring months, in medium and small stocks where the bees 
can protect but few combs with animal heat, I have often 
found cells containing a plurality of eggs, two, three, and 
occasionally four in one cell. These supernumeraries must 
be removed, and may frequently be found in the dust on 
the bottom board.* 

Another portion of eggs is wasted whenever a supply of 
their food fails. If we remove the bees from a stock dur- 
ing a scarcity, when the hive is light, we will be very likely 
to find hundreds of eggs in the cells and only very few ad- 
vancing from that stage toward maturity. I have thus 
found it in autumn, in July, sometimes the first of June, 
and in fact, at any time when the maturing of the brood 
would be likely to exhaust their stores, and endanger the 
supply of the family. Now instead of the fertility of the 
queen being greater in the spring and first of summer 
than at other times, as we are often told, I would suggest 
that a greater abundance of food at this season, and a 
greater number of empty cells, may be the reason that 
more bees are matured. 



* This is a good (est of the presence of a queen. Sweep off the board clean, and 
look a day or two after, for these eggs. Take care that ant's or mice have no 
chance to get them ; they are as fond of eggs for breakfast as any one, and might 
deceive you by removing the eggs. When any eggs or immature bees are found, 
uo further proof of the presence of a queen is needed. 



PHYSIOLOGY AND BREEDING. 33 

WHEN DRONES ARE REARED. 

"Whenever the hive is well supplied with honey and bees, 
eggs are deposited in the drone cells. 

WHEN QUEENS ARE REARED IN SWARMrNG HIVES. 

Also, at the proper season, when the hive becomes 
crowded with bees, and honey is plenty, the preparations 
for young queens commence. As the first step towards 
swarming, from one to twenty royal cells are begun, and 
when about half completed, the queen (if the conditions 
continue favorable,) will deposit eggs in them.* These 
are glued fast by one end like those for the workers. 
"When hatched, the little worm is supplied with a superabun- 
dance of food; this appears from the fact that I have 
frequently found a quantity remaining in the cell after the 
queen had left. The consistence of this substance is about 
like cream, the color some lighter, or just tinged with yel- 
low. If it were thin like water, or even honey, I cannot 
imagine how it could be made to stay in the upper end of 
an inverted cell of that size, in such quantities as are put 
in. Sometimes a cell of this kind will contain this food, 
and no worm to feed upon it. I surmise that the bees 
have compounded more than their present necessities re- 
quire, and stored it there to have it ready ; also, that being 
there, all might know for. whom it was designed. 

The taste is said to be " more pungent," than that of 
the food given to the worker, and the difference in food 
is assumed to change the bee from a worker to a queen. 
It can not be the shape of the cell, because I have known 
queens to be raised in cells that could not be distinguished 
from worker cells, by ordinary observers. 



*I do not assert this positively. All my observations indicate it, yet I have 
never seen her in the act. 

2* 



34 PHYSIOLOGY AXD BREEDING. 

WHEN QUEENS AND DRONES ARE DESTROYED BEFORE SWARMrNG. 

If from any cause, honey fails so far as to make the ex- 
istence of a swarm in any way hazardous, the preparations 
are abandoned, and these young queens destroyed, in all 
stages from the egg to maturity. When an occurrence 
like this takes place, the drones next fall victims to the 
failure of honey. A brief existence only is theirs ; such 
as are perfect, are destroyed without mercy, and those in 
the chrysalis state are often dragged out and sacrificed to 
the necessities of the colony. Such as are allowed to 
hatch, instead of being fed and protected as they would 
be if honey were abundant, are permitted while yet 
weak from the effects of hunger, to wander from the hive, 
and fall to the earth by hundreds.* 

These results attend only a scarcity in the early part 
of the season. The massacre of July and September is 
quite different. The drones then have age and strength ; 
an effort is apparently first made by the workers to drive 
them out without proceeding to extremes; they are ha- 
rassed sometimes for several days, the workers feigning 
only to sting, but very few are dispatched in that way ; 
yet there is evidence proving beyond doubt that the sting 
is sometimes used. Hundreds will often be collected to- 
gether in a compact body at the bottom of the hive ; this 
mutual protection affording a few hours' respite from their 
tormenters, who do not cease to worry them. In a few 
days they are gone, and it is difficult to tell what has be- 
come of them. If the hive is well supplied with honey 
in September, some of the drones have a longer lease of 
life given them. I have seen them as late as December. 
When the best hives are poorly supplied with stores, the 
bees will rear no drones the ensuing spring, until the 



*The destruction of drones at this time does not prove that there will not be 
any swarms, as some have asserted ; but it shows that there is a scarcity of 
honey, and that swarming is put off indefinitely, if not altogether. 



PHYSIOLOGY AND BREEDING. 35 

flowers yield a good supply. I have known one or two 
years in which no drones appeared before the last of June ; 
at other times, thousands are matured by the first of May. 

THE OLD QUEEN LEAVES WITH THE FIKST SWARM. 

The old queen leaves with the first swarm, and as soon 
as cells are ready in the new hive, she deposits her eggs 
in them, at first for workers, the number corresponding 
with the supply of honey and size of the swarm. When 
the supply of honey fails before the time for leaving the old 
stock, she will remain there, and continue laying through- 
out the season. 

WHAT BECOMES OP THE BEES WHEN NO SWARM ISSUES. 

As many bees die or are lost during their excursions, 
as are replaced by the young ones. In fact they often di- 
minish in number rather than increase ; so that by the 
next spring a hive that has cast no swarm is no better for 
a stock, than one from which a swarm has issued. We 
are apt to be deceived by bees clustering outside, towards 
the latter end of the season, and suppose it hardly possi- 
ble for them to get in, when in fact it may be caused by 
hot weather, full stores, etc. 

WHEN A YOUNG QUEEN TAKES THE PLACE OP THE OLD ONE. 

In ordinary circumstances when a swarm has left a 
stock, the oldest of the young queens is ready to emerge 
from her cell in about seven or eight days ; if no second 
swarm is sent out she will take her mother's place, and 
begin to lay eggs in about eight days. Two or three 
weeks is all the time in the whole summer in which eggs 
can not be found in all prosperous hives. 

NUMBER OP DRONES. 

The relative number of drones and workers, when the 
latter are most numerous, doubtless depends on the size 



36 PHYSIOLOGY AND BEEEDLTSTG. 

of the hive. When a swarm is just hived, the first cells 
constructed are of the size for workers. If the hive be 
very small, and bees numerous, it may be filled before 
they are fully aware of it, and but few drone cells be 
built ; consequently but few drones can be raised. If the 
hive be large, considerable honey will be stored, and cells 
for storing honey are usually of the size intended for 
drones, and these will be made as soon as the requisite 
number for workers is provided. It is said that more 
drone cells are made when the queen is quite old. An 
abundant yield of honey during the process of filling a 
large hive, would also cause a greater proportion of these 
cells to be built. The amount of drone brood being gov- 
erned by the same cause, is also a strong argument against 
large hives, as affording room for too many of these cells, 
where an unnecessary number of drones might be reared, 
thus causing a useless expenditure of honey, etc. 

THEORIES RELATIVE TO DRONES. 

It is now determined that an egg deposited by an ordina- 
ry queen, in a drone cell, becomes a drone, and in a worker 
cell, a worker. I know that theories differing very ma- 
terially from the foregoing, are advanced by nearly all 
writers. One says : " In spring the queen lays about two 
thousand eggs of males, resumes it again in August, but 
during the rest of the intervals she exclusively lays worker 
eggs. The queen must be at least eleven months old be- 
fore she begins to lay the eggs of males." Dr. Bevan 
says, " the great laying of drone eggs usually commences 
about the end of April." All these theories are at fault. 
It is proved beyond dispute that drone eggs are laid at all 
seasons whenever the condition of the hive will warrant 
it. But there are those who have investigated farther, 
and who give us another theory : that the eggs for the two 
kinds of bees are produced separately, and that the queen 



PHYSIOLOGY AND BREEDING. 



37 



knows when each kind is ready, and the workers know 
it also. 

The fact that all eggs laid in drone cells will produce 
drones and nothing else, is to be accounted for. There is 
no possibility of setting this aside. The attempt to rear 

queens from such has so 



utterly failed with my- 
self and others, that we 
have no longer any hope 
of success. The reason 
undoubtedly is, that eggs 
laid in drone cells are 
not impregnated. Queens 
with faulty wings, or 
otherwise unable to "fly 
out to. meet the drones, 
or such as are raised late 
in the season, when no drones exist, are certain to 
prove drone layers ; every egg they deposit, whether in 
worker or drone cells, produces a drone. I have frequently, 
since obtaining the Italian, reared queens intentionally late 
in the season, that I may have drone-laying queens for the 
purpose of raising early drones. Such failed to meet the 
drones, and were drone layers in consequence.* When- 
ever the brood of the fertile workers has matured, it has 
proved to be drones.f No one will pretend that these 




Fig. 5. — BROOD FROM A DRONE QUEEN 
IN WORKER CELLS. 



*A drone queen, when laying in worker cells, does it more irregularly, or the 
bees do not nurse all that are laid. About half the cells are sealed over after 
being lengthened at least one-third. It has been recommended to " destroy such 
a queen and substitute another; and as the combs are worthless, destroy them, 
and let the bees build new." I have found these combs as good as new ones, 
and would advise retaining them. 

tl never witnessed the phenomenon of a fertile worker until after I had been 
raising Italian queens in the small rearing boxes for some time. I had used 
clean drone comb in several of them, and in some that had been without a queen 
a long time, I discovered eggs in the cells. Some contained as many as six, put 
in rather uningeniously, as if it were the work of a novice. Some were sticking 



38 



PHYSIOLOGY AND BREEDING. 



have become impregnated. All this indicates^ if it does 
not prove conclusively, that all drone eggs are unimpreg- 
nated. There is still another indication that they are not 
impregnated. The Italian queen that has met the native 
drone, and brings forth a mixed progeny of workers — ■ 
half Italian and half native — will produce just as pure 
drones as her mother, or one that has never met the drone. 
Does not this militate against any theory that the vivify- 
ing influence is incorporated with the egg in its formation ? 



on the side, half way to the bottom, and others were on different parts of the 
bottom. Some of the cells contained larvae pretty well advanced, and that 
eventually matured into apparently perfect drones. A day or two after, on tak- 
ing out a comb, I found a worker in the very act of laying. Her abdomen was 
inserted its whole length, her head, thorax, and wings being all that was visible 
of her body She was not disturbed at all by the removal of the comb, but con- 
tinued the important operation of depositing an egg, the gravity of her counte- 
nance indicating that she considered herself the important personage of the colony 




Fig. 6. — COMB SHOWING THE DIFFERENT SHAPE OF CELLS WHEN AN AT- 
TEMPT IS MADE TO RAISE A QUEEN FROM DRONE BROOD. 

by being elevated to the dignity of becoming the mother of a drone. I found 
that the length of time required by her to deposit an egg was three or four times 
greater than that usually occupied by a queen. A day or two after, I caught 
three dignified matrons at one time engaged in this all important and not-to-be 
deferred business, and afterwards observed several others thus occupied. I 
noticed that the phenomenon was usually produced by keeping the little colony 



PHYSIOLOGY AND BREEDING. 39 

This principle is of immense value to all who would Itali- 
anize their apiaries. 

To account for their not being impregnated, especially 
those laid by a perfect queen, Mr. Langstroth says : 

mr. wagner's theory. 

" My friend, Mr. Samuel Wagner, of York, Pa., has ad- 
vanced a highly ingenious theory, which accounts for all 
the facts, without admitting that the queen has any special 
knowledge or will on the subject. He supposes that 
when she deposits her eggs in the worker cells, her body 
is slightly compressed by their sides, thus causing the eggs 
as they pass the spermatheca to receive its vivifying influ- 
ence. On the contrary, when she is laying in drone cells, 
as this compression can not take place, the mouth of the 
spermatheca is kept closed, and the eggs are necessarily 
unfecundated." Mr. Harbison replies that he has no faith 
in this "very plausible theory," and thinks that "facts, 
further experience and observation, will demonstrate its 
fallacy." It appears that it is easier for him to pull down 
than to build up, because, after showing the weakness of 

some days longer without a queen, and that they must be provided with plenty 
of drone cells. I never knew them to lay in worker cells. The instinct that 
prompts the desire to preserve the colony from destruction, inspires efforts to 
which nature will not grant success. They even endeavor to rear queens from 
these eggs, on some occasions. The great wonder is, why a worker should lay 
at all. The only solution that I can offer at present is, that the knowledge of, or 
grief at the loss of their mother, changes the internal structure of a mature bee, 
and develops eggs sufficiently vitalized to hatch drones. The theory that worker 
layers were raised near a queen cell, and by accident were fed a little royal pap, 
will not explain it at all. These workers were taken from a colony that had 
never raised a queen, and they probably never thought of depositing an egg so 
long as the queen was present. If this great anxiety for the mother was any 
less, they might sometimes neglect to avail themselves of the means of provid. 
ing one, when they had the power. 

The phenomenon of other insects than the bee, producing young withouf direct 
impregnation maybe witnessed in the aphis, (Plant louse.) Not only one, but 
several generations of females, are brought forth in succession. Towards the 
end of the season a few males are produced, which continue the species for a 
few months longer. 



40 PHYSIOLOGY AND BREEDING. 

this theory, he offers one, that, to me, appears still more 
fallacious, and still more beset with difficulties. He states 
as objections to Mr. Wagner's theory, first : " that the ab- 
domen of the queen, where the sac is situated, is. so small, 
that when thrust even to the bottom of the worker's cell, 
it cannot be sufficiently compressed to impregnate the egg 
as represented, in. passing its mouth." Again : " When 
the old queen is hived with a swarm, she commences lay- 
ing eggs as cells are ready, and often lays in worker cells 
when only one-eighth of an inch high. Is it possible that 
the abdomen of the queen receives any pressure from the 
sides of the cells whilst in the act of thrusting her ovipos- 
itor into the cell to deposit the egg ?" He goes back to 
the theory of periodical drone-egg laying, not to the ex- 
tent of limiting it to two periods in the season, but to 
certain periods. He says, in substance (I condense his 
remarks on this point), that he thinks it highly probable 
that the queen knows that an egg in a drone cell willbriug 
forth a drone ; knows when it is proper to raise drones, 
etc. Who ever saw eggs laid in drone cells in mid-winter 
or early in spring, until nearly time for swarming ? Yet 
all strong stocks raise brood from January until summer. 
He has " cut holes in a worker comb and inserted corres- 
ponding pieces of drone comb which remained empty 
while all around would be filled with worker brood, etc., 
proving that no drone eggs are laid until the general 
simultaneous laying of all strong colonies. He gives us 
his concluding theory which I quote at length. 

MR? HARBISON'S THEORY. 

"At present, I shall content myself with believing that 
a sufficient portion of the seminal fluid to cause the egg 
to germinate, is incorporated with it in its formation. The 
eggs to produce drones or males are generated in, or pro- 
duced from one side or branch of the ovaries, and those 



PHYSIOLOGY AND BREEDING. 



41 



producing females from the other side. We find that the 
ovaries are separated into two equal parts, (according to 
Swammerdam, after whom Langstroth copies,) having no 
connection whatever, except that the contents of each 
branch is discharged through the common oviduct or pas- 
sage. Over the outlets of the passages or oviducts open- 
ing from each of these divisions into the main channel or 
common oviduct, the queen has full control, and fully 
understands that eggs from the one division will produce 
drones, and from the other, workers ; and the anomaly of 
drone-laying queens arises from the imperfect development 
of that part of the ovaries which produces eggs for 
workers." 

Let us see what there is in support of the two theories. 

He believes that there is 
enough seminal fluid to 
cause the egg to generate, 
incorporated with it in its 
formation. Yet in another 
place he admits that the 
queen is provided with a 
-receptacle for the male ele- 
ment, and doubts that any 
eggs are ever hatched that 
are not impregnated di- 
rect, in the following lan- 
guage. " That this is true, 
permit me at present to 
doubt ; its assumptions are 
too extravagant, and so far 
from harmonizing with 
Fig. 7.— ovaries of the queen. a11 animated nature, with 
which I am in any way conversant, etc." 

He should remember that we start with some facts not 
in harmony with any thing " with which we are conver- 




42 PHYSIOLOGY AND BREEDING. 

sant." Where in the whole round of animated nature is 
there a female producing hundreds of thousands of eggs 
in a life time ? We have heard of a kind of ant that ex- 
ceeds even this, but we are not familiar with it. In ani- 
mated nature, as far as our observation extends, eggs are 
usually produced in series of dozens or hundreds, and the 
male is met for each brood. A female may produce one 
brood or more, but the queen will, under some circum- 
stances, continue an uninterrupted series from January to 
October. One impregnation is operative for a life time. 
Is there not wisdom in thus economizing; the vital fluid, 
and using it only when necessary? 

But eggs of some animals are impregnated after their 
formation, even after they are discharged, as is the case 
with those of most kinds offish, frogs, etc. The providing 
of the sac or receptacle of the queen, is an admirable dis- 
play of the wisdom of the Creator, in adapting means to 
ends. Mr. Harbison's supposition that because the ovaries 
of the queen are separated into two equal parts, that 
when the queen produces only drones, one side is imper- 
fectly developed^does not enlighten us much, even if we 
admit it. I see no reason why the side in which the drone 
eggs are formed, should not sometimes be imperfectly de- 
veloped as well as the other, and we occasionally have a 
queen that lays no drone eggs ; such a case has never been 
reported, to my knowledge. That she "fully understands 
that eggs from one division will produce drones, and the 
other, workers," I can not comprehend any better than 
that she would understand equally well when a drone egg 
was about to be laid, if they werja all formed in one mass. 
If drone and worker eggs were separated in two divisions, 
it would seem that the mass of each would be proportion- 
ate in size to the quantity laid of each ; but they are 
represented as alike in size. Perhaps no one would dis- 
pute it if I should say that hundreds of one kind are laid 



PHYSIOLOGY AND BREEDING. 43 

to one of the other, on an average. Mr. H. says that a 
queen will lay none but worker eggs from January until 
about the swarming time, when simultaneously all queens 
in strong colonies lay drone eggs. Is one division idle all 
this time ? A queen in a weak colony, with but little 
honey, may be kept all summer without raising a drone ; 
they are frequently so kept. "What becomes of the divi- 
sion of drone eggs alt this time ? If it were natural 
for her to deposit them at a particular season, like the 
putting forth of buds and leaves, then the queens of small 
families should produce drones according to the season, 
and not according to the condition of the family. 

That the queen knows any thing about the kind of eggs 
she is depositing, is, to me, very doubtful. One circum- 
stance witnessed by myself, has a strong bearing on this 
subject. A colony in a glass hive had remained quite 
small up to the middle of June. One outside sheet of 
comb was three-fourths worker cells. For several days I 
had observed the bees cutting off the cells in which they 
had stored honey the previous season, for the purpose of 
rearing brood. I soon discovered eggs in both worker and 
drone cells. Shortly aftei', on opening the door, I found 
the queen engaged in laying eggs in the drone cells. 
Nearly every one already contained an egg. Most of these 
she examined, but did not use them. Six or eight, only, 
appeared to be unoccupied, and in each of them she imme- 
diately deposited an egg. After depositing the last one 
in the drone cells, she continued to search for more empty 
cells, and in doing so, she passed, apparently by accident, 
upon the worker cells, where she found a dozen or more 
empty, in each of which, without hesitation, she laid an 
egg. The whole time occupied was not more than thirty 
minutes. Each produced according to the cell used, drones 
in drone cells, and workers in worker cells. It is hardly 
worth while to tell me that she knew her series of drone 



44 PHYSIOLOGY AKD BEEEDING. 

eggs was exhausted just when she laid the last one in the 
drone cell, because I should at once inquire why she ex- 
amined so many of those cells, if she did not intend to use 
them, had they been empty. It will require very positive 
evidence to convince me that those worker cells did not 
receive the identical eggs that would have been placed in 
drone cells had they not been pre-occupied. 

But can we account for the impregnation of some, and 
the non-impregnation of other eggs laid by the same 
queen in the space of half an hour, aside from the theory 
of Mr. Wagner? Among the objections raised to this by 
Mr. H., the strongest appears to be that the eggs laid in 
cells one-eighth of an inch deep, are just as sure to pro- 
duce workers as those laid in deeper ones. It is consid- 
ered by some persons as entirely fatal to the whole theory. 
For myself, I feel very reluctant to admit that it affects it 
in the least, yet I must acknowledge that it is somewhat 
obscured by the circumstances. 

I very much hoj)e that something explanatory will yet 
be discovered, because if it is rejected, there are so many 
things favoring this theory that will have to be otherwise 
explained, that the task will be very heavy. It is possible 
that when we have an arrangement by which we can wit- 
ness the depositing of these eggs in such shallow cells, we 
shall discover something that will shed more light upon 
the subject. It may be, that, just at the moment of the 
passage of the egg, or the act of laying, the contents of 
the abdomen are crowded downward, and it enlarges suffi- 
ciently to touch the sides of a cell only one-eighth of an 
inch deep. 

When I first saw the smallest queen that I ever raised, 
whose body was even smaller than a worker's, it occurred 
to me at once that if she ever laid, it would be a test of this 
principle. Her body being small it could not of course be 
compresssed like others, and a large portion of her progeny 



PHYSIOLOGY AND BREEDING. 45 

would prove to be drones in worker cells. The result was 
just what was expected — one half were drones. {This 
queen was lost on introducing her into a full colony.) I 
have noticed, and no doubt others who have raised queens 
in the small boxes also have, that from the first eggs 
that the queen deposits, before her body is enlarged by 
the accumulation of eggs, there are many drones, even in 
the worker cells. 

There are two sides to this question. The queen either 
knows when she is about to lay drone eggs, or she does 
not. If it is admitted that she does, another question im- 
mediately arises, do the workers know it also ? When- 
ever the condition of the colony is such that drones may 
be wanted, we find them preparing for them. If they 
have no cells made, and there is room in the hive, they 
construct them ; if they are made, they cut them down, if 
they had been used for honey, and otherwise prepare them 
for the eggs. Do they do this because the queen has im- 
parted to them the knowledge of her wants just then, or 
is it the result of common instinct ? The hive, at such 
times, is sufficiently populous for the bees to cover the comb 
and maintain the requisite heat. They are getting a sup- 
ply of honey from the flowers, and simultaneously all good 
stocks rear drones. The stimulus of obtaining the honey 
seems adequate to produce the result. It is not necessary 
that the honey should be obtained from the flowers at the 
time. Sometimes it may have been stored the previous 
year, or a large quantity may have been fed, and then 
strong colonies will rear drones a month in advance of the 
season. "We can stimulate a strong colony to rear drones 
throughout the season, even as late as October, by keeping 
up sufficient warmth, and a liberal supply of food. I have 
frequently raised Italian drones out of the honey yielding 
season, when the natives were mostly destroyed, for the 
purpose of serving queens reared out of season. There 



46 HIVES. 

is then much less risk of their meeting the black drone. 
There is still another theory of this matter of sex, offered 
by Mr. E. Kirby, but as I am unable to comprehend 
it fully, I will not undertake to explain it to others. 

Twelve years ago I dismissed this knotty subject with 
this remark, " I shall leave this matter for the present, 
hoping that something conclusive may occur in my exper- 
iments, or those of others. At present I am inclined to 
think that the eggs are all alike, but am not fully satisfied." 
Since then we have advanced somewhat, in theories at 
least. We have facts pointing very clearly to the con- 
clusion that eggs producing drones are not impregnated. 
By patient perseverance, I trust that there will yet be 
more light thrown upon this interesting subject. 

I am aware that this matter is of but little interest to 
many readers, and I am advised to adhere to the plain 
and practical, and avoid speculative topics. I shall endeavor 
to do so generally, but this is, to me, of such special in- 
terest, that I could not well avoid devoting a little more 
attention to it than will be agreeable to all. 



CHAPTER III. 

HIVES. 
SATISFACTION IN HAVING NO PATENT. 

There is a satisfaction, in being able to express my 
views on a subject involving so many conflicting interests, 
and feel that no one can accuse me of selfish motives. I 
have kept clear of all interest in the patent swindles of 
the day, and have refused tempting bribes for a simple 
endorsement of some particular "pattern bee-hive." I 
have refrained on principle from inflicting another patent 



HIVES. 47 

on the community, whereby I doubtless could have made 
some hundreds of dollars ; for all the different methods of 
constructing a bee hive are by no means exhausted, 
neither is the race of credulous bee-keepers extinct. I 
have put myself in antagonism with the patent-vender, 
have endured his abuse, his sneering ridicule, and un- 
founded accusations. For what ? Certaiuly not in the 
hope of any pecuniary reward. It is said that he who 
causes two blades of grass to grow where but one grew 
before, is a public benefactor. So it may be said of the 
man, who even indirectly, aids in saving a portion of the 
inestimable sweetness now wasted on the air, for want of 
proper means to secure it. I have ever been anxious to 
advance apiarian science, and promote the interest of the 
apiarian, and if I succeed in ever so small a degree I shall 
feel amply rewarded. 

How can a man judge of the requisites of a bee-hive, 
unless he is thoroughly versed in the natural history of 
bees ? Not one in a hundred of those spreading patent 
hives broadcast over the land, is capable of giving an in- 
telligent opinion concerning the habits and requirements 
of bees. A patent is based upon some peculiarity of con- 
struction, by which some real or fancied convenience is 
obtained, and thenceforth that convenience is proclaimed 
to be the one thing needful for a bee-hive, although it may 
supplant other and more desirable qualities, if it does not 
induce some positive evils. 

NO DIFFICULTY IN OBTAINING CERTIFICATES AND PEEJTIUHS. 

There is no difficulty in getting certificates of the enor- 
mous quantities of honey produced by each particular hive. 
With few exceptions, all patent-venders are provided with 
them, as well as with " premiums " for " best bee-hive," 
received at all the Town, County, and State Fairs, through- 
out the country. A premium from our Fair Committees 



48 HIVES. 

is no longer a recommendation, — every thing is recommend- 
ed as well as patented ; and when a man comes along who 
has nothing to offer in favor of his hive, further than the 
unprecedented amount of honey secured by it, and a fa- 
vorable notice from a stupid committee, I feel very much 
like dismissing him without ceremony ; it is evident he 
has chosen a sorry vocation. 

HIVES FURNISHED FOB TRIAL. 

I have, during my bee-keeping experience, received a 
score or two of patent hives, with the right to use, and a 
request that I would give them a trial. Some patentees 
were no doubt sincere in the belief that I would find their 
hive the "ne plus ultra" of all contrivances, while others, less 
honest, were evidently only seeking a word of commenda- 
tion, which would go far towards establishing their hum- 
bug in the confidence of the easily deluded public. It is 
often unpleasant to refuse so simple a favor as a trial of a 
hive, but although furnished gratis, there are seldom good 
points enough about them to make it worth the trouble ; 
and further, it is not desirable to have many different pat- 
terns in one yard. None but the experienced can realize 
the importance of this last consideration, especially where 
movable combs are used. Besides, many of these hives are 
a positive damage to the bee-keeper. I think it will be 
an easy matter to show that when one desirable point has 
been gained by a departure from simplicity, it is usually 
attended by a corresponding evil. 

NECESSITIES OF THE EEES. 

All variations from the simple box are for the benefit of 
man, not of the bees. The wants of the bee are few and 
simple. A suitable cavity for the combs is all that is re- 
quired. In good seasons, instinct will prompt the collec- 
tion of a greater supply than is needed for winter. I will 



HIVES. 49 

guarantee that more honey will be stored in a barrel, box, 
or hollow log, just large enough to hold all that is gathered, 
than in any patent fixture ever presented for this special 
purpose. It is just as rational to contend, that, with the 
same facilities, bees will store more in your barrel than in 
mine, as that they will store more in one patent hive than 
another. 

GREAT DISCOVERY FOR 'PATENT-VENDERS. 

When honey is stored in the apartment where brood is 
raised, it is liable to be mixed with occasional cells of pol- 
len, and cocoons left by the young bees. The discovery 
that by making a division in the hive, that part separate 
from the brood would be free from all impurities, opened 
an ample field for speculation, and different methods of 
making the necessary division were at once invented. The 
chamber hive was probably the first of the kind. 

PRINCIPLES OP DIFFERENT HIVES. 

Then, to prevent the depredations of mice, the suspend- 
ed hive was contrived. Soon after, the inclined bottom 
board was added to throw out the worms. When it was 
discovered that bees destitute of a queen would rear one 
from eggs destined for workers, dividing hives of various 
forms were at once presented. Comb used a great many 
years becomes thickened and black, and needs changing ; 
hence the changeable hive. " ISTon-swarmers " have been 
introduced to save risk and trouble. " Moth-proofs " are 
offered to prevent depredations of the moth, etc., etc. I 
will examine some of the principles upon which these are 
founded, and then give my views of a good hive. 

CHAMBER HrVE. 

The chamber hive is made with two apartments, the 
lower and larger for the permanent residence of the bees, 
3 



50 HIVES. 

the upper or chamber for the boxes. Its merit is, that 
the chamber affords all necessary protection for glass 
boxes, and is a permanent cover. Its demerits are : it is 
inconvenient to handle, it occupies too much room when 
put in the house for winter, and only one end of the boxes 
can be seen when on the hive. They can not be properly 
examined without taking them off, and thus disturbing the 
bees. 

SUSPENDED HIVE. 

The suspended hive may effectually exclude the mice, 
and answer all the purposes for which it was designed, 
but there are evils originating in this very advantage that 
may counterbalance it. The inconvenience of inspecting 
the hive at any time may induce a habit of neglect that is 
often fatal to success. When all the cares of an apiary 
are as light as possible, there is too great neglect of duty ; 
hence necessary attention should be as little burdensome 
as possible. 

INCLINED BOTTOM BOARD. 

The inclined bottom board for rolling out the worms — 
the basis of several patents — may be said to be an utter 
failure. Worms are not disposed of so easily, for when 
one drops from the comb, if it ever does, it has a thread 
attached above, by which it may climb to its former posi- 
tion. Should it be dead when it falls, or so cold that it 
can not spin a thread, a strong wind might shake it off — 
and what then ? The objections to this are the same as 
to the suspended hive. They are a damage to whoever 
uses them, aside from the expense of right and construction. 

DIVIDING HIVE. 

The dividing hive was constructed to multiply stocks at 
pleasure. The fact that bees would rear a queen to replace 



HIVES. 51 

one lost, gave rise to some very wild speculations. To 
make a hive in two parts, and when full, separate them, 
making two, and then put an empty half with each full one, 
on the presumption that the portion without a queen 
would rear one, was a theory that seemed very well until 
put in practice. I made a hive of this kind, and a Mr. 
Jones, a little later, did the same, and obtained a patent, 
but when they came to be put to the test of practice, we 
were taught a lesson. A medium-sized swarm put into such 
a hive will first fill one side down with nearly all brood 
combs, and this apartment will, most of the time, afford 
all the room needed for breeding. When they commence 
ha the other, they will build store-combs, the cells being 
too large for rearing workers. A swarm large enough to 
fill both sides at once will do better, but it will construct 
more store-combs than are profitable. In many cases 
when the colony is divided, the result will be no brood in 
one apartment from which to raise a queen, and a strong 
probability that the old queen is with the brood, and the 
part without her must therefore run down. If by chance 
there is sufficient brood from which to raise a queen, so 
small a part of the comb is fit for breeding that they can 
raise but few bees, and the colony will remain weak and 
thriftless for a short time, and then die. I also found that 
a colony would often starve with abundant stores. Bees 
take up their winter quarters among the brood combs, in 
the apartment where there is but little honey ; if it is all 
exhausted during protracted cold weather, they must 
starve. Only frequent intervals of warm weather, or 
warm winter quarters, can avert such a fate. 

CHANGEABLE HIVE. 

The very kind effort to prevent the bees from becoming 
dwarfs, has given rise to many forms of the changeable 
hive. We all know that when the young bee first hatches 



52 HIVES. 

from the egg it is nothing but a worm, that it is fed a 
few clays, and the cell containing it sealed over with a 
waxen covering. It then spins a cocoon, or lines its cell 
with a coating of silk, inconceivably thinner than the thin- 
nest paper, which remains after the bee leaves the cell. It 
is evident, therefore, that after a few hundreds have been 
reared in a cell, each one leaving its cocoon, such cell 
must be somewhat diminished in size, and after a time be- 
come so small that the young bee cannot attain to its 
proper size.' It therefore needs to be removed that the 
bees may replace it with one of full size. This is all very 
consistent, and were it not that the patent-vender takes 
advantage of the bee-keeper, through ignorant or design- 
ing misrepresentation, I might have but little to say on 
this point. 

The most simple form of this class of hives consists of 
several stories one above another, with holes or cross-bars 
for communication, each section or story forming a hive 
five or six inches deep. Every year a full one is taken 
from the top, and an empty one added at the bottom. As 
there are usually about three, they are changed every 
three years, consequently none of the combs are over 
three years old. The one taken off usually contains the 
most honey. But of what quality is it ? It is even in- 
ferior to some pieces that may be selected from the box 
hive. Every comb and nearly every cell must, at some 
time, have been used for breeding, consequently they con- 
tain either cocoons or pollen, and are not desirable or fit 
for the table until strained. A hive of this class is one of 
the worst in which to winter bees. It is objectionable on 
the same score as the dividing hive — bees in one part and 
honey in another. Every hive on this principle is open to 
the same objection, whether the sections are placed one 
above another, or upright, side by side. Hives of this 
kind may be considered the most pernicious of any. They 



HIVES. 53 

rob us of a goodly quantity of surplus honey, compel us to 
hazard greater risk in wintering, and cause the consump- 
tion of several pounds of honey for the renewal of a por- 
tion of the comb every year. And what are our returns ? 
In their most prosperous condition, some thirty pounds of 
inferior hive honey. When properly managed, this same 
colony would probably store a much larger amount of 
pure surplus, the market value of which would be ten 
times greater than that of the other. It will not do to 
reckon the value of new combs as an equivalent for all this 
sacrifice. I can assure the reader that there is no profit 
in such frequent renewal of the combs. All experienced 
and disinterested bee-keepers will bear testimony to this. 
Bees hatched from combs used for breeding a dozen years, 
are not dwarfed enough for the difference to be perceived. 
The bees seem to make a provision for this emergency by 
making the sheets of comb a little farther apart than ne- 
cessary at first, and the diameter of the cell a little greater 
than the young bee requires. The angles of the cells fill 
up in time, and as the bottom fills up faster than the sides, 
the bees add a little to the length, until the ends of -the 
cells upon two parallel combs approximate so closely that 
the bees can not pass freely ; before this time it is unneces- 
sary to remove combs on account of age. 

I find it estimated by writers that twenty-five pounds of 
honey are consumed in elaborating about one pound of 
wax. This may be an over-estimate, but no one will deny 
that some is used. I am satisfied from actual experience, 
that every time the bees are^ obliged to renew their brood- 
combs, they would make from ten to twenty-five pounds 
of honey in boxes ; hence I infer that their time may be 
much more profitably employed than in constructing brood 
combs every year. 

Now, to have the bee-keeper deluded into the belief 
that by paying for the privilege of injuring his bees, he is 



54 HIVES. 

benefiting himself, is too much for ordinary patience. I 
have said nothing about the expense of construction, 
which is, at least, three times that of common box hives, 
and it is nothing but a box hive after all. This item alone 
is worthy our attention. 

VENTILATING HIVE. 

In cold weather, bees throw off moisture that lodges on 
the combs and sides of the hive, and causes mold. The 
patent-vender is at hand with several specifics for getting 
rid of it. The most effectual that I have seen — Mr. Fur- 
long's — is a hive with cross-bars at the top to support the 
combs, and panes of glass set up like the roof of a house, 
on which the moisture condenses, and runs down into a 
little trough of tin, which conducts it outside of the hive. 
This hive is much more tolerable than the dividing hive 
just mentioned, as this method of disposing of the moist- 
ure is preferable to the open holes. Were it not for the 
fact that the same result can be secured quite as effec- 
tually at far less expense, this hive might be desirable. 
(See description of box hive with straw mat for top in 
chap, xxin.) 

MOTH-PROOF HIVES. 

To keep the worms from the hive, has exercised the 
ingenuity of our accommodating gentlemen of the patent 
fraternity, for a long time, and they " have succeeded be- 
yond all expectations." The noticeable feature in men of 
this stamp is, that the less they know about bees the more 
they presume to teach others. In fact, one who is at home 
on the subject, does not believe a word of their profes- 
sions. He sees well enough that a moth can go wherever 
a bee can go, and that when the bees are gone, or too 
weak to drive them away, the worms are present. The 
worms can not destroy a strong colony of bees, especially 



HIVES. 55 

if Italian, although the hive may he the most rickety old 
box imaginable, with hiding places for worms on every 
square inch. Put this by the side of the best finished 
" Moth-proof," and the chances are that the moths, or 
rather worms, will disjDose of the latter first. 

NON-SWARMERS. 

A perfect non-swarmer has not yet been constructed, 
although we often hear it talked about. I heartily wish 
that one could be devised which would answer the re- 
quirements, and furnish the surplus in good shape for 
market. I have offered $100 for one that would not fail 
in more than one instance in ten. It is not forthcoming, 
however, showing that those who talk most of their abili- 
ty to invent, have no confidence in their own profession. 
The only place in which one can put bees and not expect 
them to swarm, is a small dark room, and a few have been 
known to swarm even then. But here, the surplus is 
made on the outside of the hive, and is of unequal thick- 
ness, and in all shapes, thus being unsuitable for market. 
I have tried the experiment of putting on boxes, as on 
other hives, but they seem to ignore them entirely, making 
combs at random on all parts of the hive. 

When a person wishes to keep a few bees for the sake 
of the honey for home use, and wants the least possible 
trouble with them, he will probably be satisfied with this 
hive. But if he expects to sell a few thousand pounds, he 
does not want it in such an unsalable shape. I contrasted 
the profit of such a hive, with that of a swarming hive, in 
the first edition of this work, but I made one mistake, of 
which an interested party has taken the advantage, giving 
an unfair representation to show the non-swarmer the most 
profitable. Instead of comparing a swarming hive with a 
true non-swarmer, placed as I have represented, he as- 
sumes a hive to be such, when it occasionally fails to 



56 HIVES. 

swarm, and estimating the surplus in boxes that a good 
hive would yield, he contrasts this profit with what I 
gave as about one-third of the average yield of a swarm- 
ing hive in good seasons. He simply changed the question 
to one not under consideration at all. I mention this to 
show that the statements of interested parties should be 
received with caution. I shall now make a similar esti- 
mate, but to prevent similar misrepresentations, I will give 
a little nearer the true yield of a swarming hive. Recol- 
lect, I speak of the real non-swarmer, in a small dark 
room. We start with one hive worth $5 ; at the end of 
ten years it is worth no more. The chances of its failing 
before that time we will not take into the account. We 
get annually, say, $5 worth of surplus — it will not be likely 
to be worth more, considering the shape it is in. This, 
with the value of the hive, will amount to $55. We will 
suppose that the swarming hive throws off one swarm an- 
nually, and stores $5 worth of surplus. To be moderate, 
we Avill call the average $2. The swarms will sometimes 
store $20 worth, but we will call their surplus worth $2 
each. Commencing with an old hive that gives an increase 
the first year, at the end of ten years we have 1024 hives. 
These at $5 each, are worth $5,120. At $2 each, the sur- 
plus brings $1,092, which, added to the value of the hives, 
gives a total of $9,212, as a result to compare with $55. 
To prevent any misapprehension on this point, I will state 
that in this illustration, I do not intend to be understood 
that any one will realize such a profit, but it serves to 
show the relative advantages of swarming and non-swarm- 
ing hives. 

It is said that many of the pretended " non-swarmers " 
can be converted into swarmers, in two days, at the option 
of the apiarian. Colton could place on his hive six large 
boxes at one time, containing nearly 3,000 cubic inches. 
By removing these at any time when there were bees 



HIVES. 57 

enough to fill them all, the room was so much contracted 
that the swarm was forced out at once. This was found 
to be more theory than fact, when put in practice. Bees 
do not generally swarm without previous preparation of 
at least a week. This hive, in one respect, is better than 
most patents. The large amount of room in the boxes, 
which might sometimes tend to . prevent swarming, gives 
all the bees an opportunity to labor when they do not 
swarm, and consequently more surplus honey is stored on 
such occasions. I understand that the " Farmer's Hive," 
patented by Mr. Hazen, is on the same principle. Any 
amount of room in a hive will not prevent swarming. If 
they fill from 1600 to 2000 cubic inches with combs the 
first season, they will swarm the next, nine times in ten, 
if the season is favorable, Avithout adding any new combs, 
although there may be ample room for them. To test 
this, I placed under five full hives of 2000 cubic inches, as 
many empty ones of the same size, without the top. I 
had a swarm from each. Only two had added any new 
comb, and these but little, showing that ample room will 
not prevent swarming. These hives swarmed w T hen there 
was room to make comb — some before any was commenc- 
ed, others just afterwards. Therefore, it is idle for any 
one to flatter himself with a prospect of success in such 
experiments, without an entire change in the conditions, j 
When a very large hive has been provided for a double, 
or extra large swarm, and they fill it the first season, they 
seldom swarm. They seem to have sufficient room in the 
large number of combs ready made, for all they can do, 
and there is no necessity for their emigration. The tyro 
asks what becomes of the bees raised in the course of sev- 
eral years. The answer in full will be found in another 
chapter, and I will only notice here, that after a certain 
maximum number is attained, there is no farther increase. 
They gain nothing in number from one May until the next. 



58 HIVES. 

I believe that with the exception of the Movable Comb 
Hive, I have now noticed all the principles worthy of at- 
tention, involved in patent hives. I will now speak of a 
class of hives that will pay better when put in use. 

COMMON BOX BTVE. 

I will first notice a hive in the simplest form. It has 
been called the " Qninby Hive," because it was the only 
one recommended in the first edition of this work, but the 
title has not always been given in a complimentary spirit. 
I have no claims whatever to this hive, as it was made and 
used long before my day. I recommend its use with some 
little alteration, but it is no more a " Quinby " hive than 
two or three others that I intend now to recommend. I 
have studied for years to secure the greatest amount of 
profit with the least possible expense, so that when I ob- 
tained five or ten dollars worth of honey, I need not pay 
it all for the hive and its appendages. I would keep a 
few colonies for amusement and instruction alone, but 
when I increase the number to hundreds, it is with the sole 
intention of making money out of them. I presume that 
very many of my readers are actuated by similar motives. 
I shall again recommend the box hive as the best and most 
economical for a large proportion of bee-keepers — those 
who have no interest, time, or patience to study the science 
of bee-keeping — till they can give a philosophical reason 
why they should use a different hive. One desirable fea- 
ture about this hive, is, that no one has to pay for the 
right of using it. 

PROPER SIZE OP HrVE. 

After deciding upon the kind of hive, the next impor- 
tant point is the size. Dr. Bevan, an English author, 
recommends " eleven and three-eighths inches square, by 
nine deep, in the clear," making only about 1200 inches, 



HIVES. 59 

and requiring so little honey for wintering bees, that when 
I read it, I found myself wondering if the English inch 
and pound were the same as ours. Whatever his expe- 
rience, I think this size too small for bees in any place. 
We must remember that the queen needs room for all her 
eggs, and the bees need space to store their winter pro- 
visions ; for reasons before given, these should be in one 
apartment. When this is too small, their supply of food 
is liable to be exhausted. The swarms from such hives 
will be smaller, and the stock much more liable to acci- 
dents. Yet I can imagine how one can be deceived by 
such a small hive, and recommend it strongly, especially if 
patented. Suppose you locate a large swarm in a hive 
near the size of Dr. Sevan's ; the bees will occupy nearly 
all the room with brood combs. If you put on boxes, and 
as often as full, replace them with empty ones, the amount 
of surplus honey will be great ; a very satisfactory result 
for the first summer, but in a year or two your little hive 
is gone. As we enlarge our hives, this result is modified, 
until we reach the opposite extreme, which is equally un- 
desirable. If too large, more honey will be stored than is 
required for their winter use, of which it is evident that a 
portion might have been secured, had it been stored in 
boxes. Swarms issuing from such hives will not be propor- 
tionably large, and issue but seldom. They are of but 
little profit, in surplus honey or swarms, but have the ad- 
vantage of being long lived. 

Between the two extremes, as in most other cases, is 
found the correct medium. A hive 12 inches square inside, 
containing 1728 cubic inches, has been recommended as of 
the best size. This, I think is large enough in many sec- 
tions, as the queen probably has all the room necessary for 
depositing her eggs, and the swarms are more numerous, 
and nearly as large as from much larger hives ; there also is 
room for honey sufficient to carry the bees through the 



bi) ^ - HIVES. 

winter, at least in many sections south of 41° where the 
winter is somewhat short. This size will also do in this 
latitude, (42°) in some seasons, but not at all in others. 
Not one swarm in fifty will consume 25 pounds of honey 
through the winter, that is, from the last of September to 
the first of April. The average consumption in that time 
is about 18 pounds, but the critical time is later, about the 
last of May, or first of June, in many places. In latitude 
42° and 43° they commence collecting pollen and rearing 
their young about the first of April ; by the middle of May 
all good stocks will occupy nearly if not quite all their 
brood-combs for this purpose. But little honey is obtained 
before fruit blossoms appear, and when these are gone, no 
more of any amount is collected until the appearance of 
white clover, some ten days later. If during this season of 
flowers of fruit trees there should be high winds, or cold 
rainy weather, but little honey is gathered, and our bees 
have a numerous brood on hand that must he fed. In this 
emergency, if no honey remains from the stores of the pre- 
vious year, a famine ensues ; they destroy their drones, 
perhaps some of their brood, and for aught I know put 
the old bees on short allowance. This I do know, that 
sometimes whole families have actually starved at this sea- 
son. This, of course, depends on the season ; when 
favorable, nothing of the kind occurs. Prudence, there- 
fore, dictates a provision for this emergency, by making 
the hive a little larger for northern latitude, permitting the 
storage of more honey, to take them through this critical 
period. From a series of experiments I am satisfied that 
2000 cubic inches inside is the best size for this section. 
On an average, swarms from hives of this size are as large 
as any. The dimensions should be uniform in all cases, - 
whatever size is decided upon. It is folly to accommodate 
each swarm with a hive corresponding in size ; a very 
small family this year may be very large next, and the 



HIVES. 61 

contrary the year following. A queen belonging to a 
small swarm is capable of depositing as many eggs as one 
belonging to a very large colony. A small colony which 
is able to get through the winter and spring, may be ex- 
pected to be as large as any, another season. 

DIRECTIONS FOB. MAKING BOX HIVES. 

Select one-inch boards of the proper width to make the 
hive about square, of the desired size, say 12 inches square 
inside, by 14| deep. I prefer this shape for the box hive, 
but it is not all-important. I have had some 10 inches 
square, by 20 in length ; they were awkward looking, but 
I could not discover any difference in the prosperity of their 
occupants. I have also had them 12 inches deep by 13 
square, with the same result. A neighbor has used them 
12x18, and 10 inches deep, with much satisfaction. One- 
third more room could be obtained for boxes, with this 
shape. In seasons when no swarm issues, the great 
number of bees present would thus find employment. If 
we avoid extremes, and give the required room, the form 
can make but little difference. It has been advised to 
plane the boards for hives, " inside and out," but bees 
when first put in such a hive, experience much difficulty 
in holding fast until they get their combs started, hence 
this trouble is worse than useless. When hives are not 
painted, the grain of the wood should never run crosswise, 
having the width of the boards form the height ; not that 
the bees would have a dislike to this, but nails will not hold 
firmly, and will draw out in a few years. The size, form, 
materials, and manner of putting together, are now, I 
think, sufficiently understood. Sticks half an inch in diam- 
eter should cross each way through the centre, to help 
support the combs. A hole about an inch in diameter in 
the front side, half way to the top, is a great convenience 
to the bees coming home heavy laden. It is also essential 



62 HIVES. 

when the hive is set close to the board, on account of .rob- 
bing. It is likewise necessary to lower the hives to confine 
the animal heat as much as possible, when the bees are 
engaged in rearing young brood in cool weather, as 
warmth is necessary to hatch the eggs and develop the 
larva?. Those who desire it, can make an additional en- 
trance to the hive, by boring a few holes in the side close 
to the bottom. 

TOP OF HIVE NOT FASTENED. 

Instead of nailing a top to the hive, as I have heretofore 
recommended, with holes through which the bees may as- 
cend to the boxes, I would suggest that there be slats across 
the top to support the combs, about three-fourths of an 
inch wide, by half an inch thick, and half an inch apart, 
one quarter inch below the top of the hive. Four or five 
strips, one quarter inch square, laid at equal distances 
crosswise the slats, Avill be just even with the top of the 
hive. The surplus boxes can be set on these, and the bees 
will find their way into them sooner than through holes in 
a top board. The queen is more liable to go up and de- 
posit eggs, but not quite as much so, as if the boxes were 
directly on the slats, and there is not much risk after the 
hive is about full of comb, before the boxes are added, 
which it should be. If such hive is to stand in the open 
air for the winter, it will admit of a straw mat on the top, 
after the boxes are off, or the cap may be packed full of 
hay, straw, or corn-cobs, to receive the moisture. 

A box for a cover or cap, 14 inches inside, will fit any 
hive. The height of this cap should be 7 inches. Of 
course other sizes will answer, but if we commence with 
one that we can adhere to uniformly, no vexations will 
arise by covers not fitting exactly. Where a double tier 
of boxes is used, covers must be made to fit. This cover, 
when on the hive, may rest on a strip of wood three- 



HIVES. 63 



fourths of an inch square, nailed around on the outside, 
one inch below the top of the hive. 



BEST SURPLUS HONEY BOXES. 



Having told how to make the hive, I will give some 
reasons for preferring a particular kind of boxes. I have 
taken great quantities of honey to market, put up in every 
style, such as tumblers, glass jars, glass boxes, wooden 
boxes with glass ends, and boxes all wood, and have 
found the square glass boxes to be the most profitable. 
The honey in these appears to very good advantage, so 
much so that the majority of purchasers prefer to pay for 
the box at the same rate as the honey, to taking the wood 
and having the tare allowed. This rate of selling boxes 
always pays the cost, while we get nothing for the wood- 
en ones. Another advantage in this kind of boxes is that 
the progress can be watched, and the boxes removed as 
soon as filled, thus preserving the purity of the combs. 

DIRECTIONS FOR MAKING THE HONEY BOXES. 

Select thin boards of pine or other soft light wood, 
dress down to one-fourth of an inch thick, cut the pieces 
for the top and bottom of the box, twelve and three quar- 
ter inches long, and six and three-eighths wide. Bore a 
row of holes in the center of the bottom. If the top of 
the hive is a board with holes through, make those in the 
box to match. Next get out the corner posts, five-eighths 
of an inch square, and five inches in length. For receiving 
the glass, cut with a thick saw a channel lengthwise on two 
sides, one-fourth of an inch deep, and one-eighth inch 
from the corner. A small lath nail through each corner 
of the bottom into the posts will hold them. It is now 
ready for the glass. Get 10x12, cut them through the 
centre, the longest way for the sides, and again the other 
way, five and five-eighths long, for the ends. These can 



64 HIVES. 

now be slipped into the channels of the posts, the top 
nailed on like the bottom, and the box is complete. Boxes 
one-half or one-third this size are preferred by many cus- 
tomers, but the bees will store more honey in large than 
small ones. I have a method of holding the glass in place 
by means of pieces of tin, but it has so little advantage 
over those just noticed, that it is hardly worth while to 
describe it minutely. 

GUIDE COMB. 

It will be found of great advantage, previous to nailing 
on the top, to stick fast to it guide-comb, in the direction 
you wish the bees to work. This will also induce them to 
commence work several days sooner than if they had to 
start the combs themselves. Put in as many as you wish 
combs in the boxes. Pieces an inch square will do, and 
two inches is about the right distance apart. To fasten 
them, melt one edge by the fire, or melt some bees wax 
and dip one edge in that, and apply before it cools. For 
a supply of such combs, save all empty, clean, white pieces 
when removing combs from a hive. 

For home consumption the wooden box answers equally 
well for obtaining the honey, but gives no chance to watch 
the progress of the bees, unless a glass is inserted for- the 
purpose, which will need a door to keep it dark, or a cov- 
er over the whole like the one for glass boxes. Wooden 
boxes are generally made with open bottom, and set on 
the top of the hive. A passage for the bees directly from 
the box to the open air is unnecessary, and worse than, 
useless. They like to store their honey as far from the en- 
trance as possible. Unless crowded for room, they will 
not store much in the boxes when such entrances are 
made. Whether we intend to consume or sell our surplus 
honey, it is as well to. have the hives and covers made so 
that we can use glass boxes when we choose. 



HIVES. 65 

When jars, tumblers, or other glass vessels are used, it 
is absolutely necessary to provide as many guides as you 
wish combs -made, or secure a piece of wood inside, as 
they seldom commence building on glass, without some 
such inducement. The reader may have seen paraded at 
our fairs, or in the public places in some of our cities, hives 
containing tumblers, some of them neatly filled, others 
empty, with the magic sentence Avritten upon them u J¥ot 
to befitted" as if they were pretending to govern the bees 
by mysterious incantations, as a juggler sometimes per- 
forms his tricks. 

I have termed the cap or box, a cover, but this 
should also be covered, with a board, if nothing else. 
A good roof for each hive can be made by fastening- 
two boards together 



n 




like the roof of a 
building ; let it be 
about 18x24 inches ; 
being loose, its posi- 
Fig. 8.— roof. ^ on can kg varied in 

accordance with the season. In spring, let the sun 
strike the hive, but in hot weather let the roof project 
over the south side, etc. The boxes described, can be used 
on any of the hives yet to be mentioned. 

SOME DESIRABLE THINGS NOT FOUND IN BOX HIVES. 

Every bee-keeper has found that there are several 
things desirable in a bee-hive that the makers of many im- 
proved hives never think of. He has seen stocks most 
promising in spring, containing the brightest combs, just 
the right amount, of stores, and a strong colony of bees, 
begin to dwindle without any apparent cause, and has 
wished for some means by which he could inspect the in- 
terior, and ascertain whether the queen was lost or barren, 
or the brood diseased. He has often, in autumn, had col- 



66 HIVES. 

onies with too little honey for winter^ and at the same 
time other hives with an over supply, and would like to 
be able to transfer gome of this surplus to the light stock. 

He has wished for an increase by swarming, and his 
bees have remained clustered outside the hive, refusing to 
swarm, the whole summer. He would welcome any inven- 
tion by which he could divide them safely and profitably. 

His bees would over-swarm, sending out many small 
ones not worth hiving, and ruining' the old stock. How 
could he remedy this evil ? He has found some swarms 
constructing entirely too much drone-comb, making the 
hive unprofitable ever afterwards, from the multitude of 
drones reared. How desirable sometimes to substitute 
worker for drone comb, and make it a profitable stock. 

When the moth-worm has gained a lodgment in the 
combs, could he have access to the interior, he could at- 
tack them in their stronghold. 

There are times when it is desirable to know exactly 
how much honey is on hand. If he could examine the 
surface of each comb he could determine without difficulty. 

In some seasons he has known colonies to so fill their 
brood-combs with honey, as to allow too little space for 
breeding, consequently the colony would be small, and all 
the open cells would not furnish room enough for them to 
pack themselves away for winter. He sees no remedy for 
these evils in the common hive. 

MOVABLE COME HTVE 

To the Rev. L. L. Langstroth, belongs the credit of in- 
troducing to us the hive that will accomplish all these desi- 
rable results. Several others have given us hives on the 
same principle, which effect the same purpose. So 
many really advantageous points are combined, without' 
interfering with any of the natural w r ants of the bee, that 
those of us who appreciate the requisites of a bee hive, 



HIVES. 67 

and can take advantage of all the facilities offered, can 
hardly afford to do without some one of these forms, not- 
withstanding they are covered by a patent. 

SOME OF ITS ADVANTAGES. 

Each comh, instead of being attached to the top of the 
hive, is suspended in a frame, and the top is simply laid on 
loosely! When the bees are dwindling away, and we 
wish to ascertain the cause, whether queenless, etc., we 
can take off the top, smoke the bees a little, raise out a 
comb, and make the necessary examination. Thus, we can 
also detect the presence of diseased brood. We have 
only to take a frame from a full hive, and transfer it to 
the light one and the reverse, to benefit both. To make 
an artificial swarm, it is only necessary to divide the combs. 
(See chapter xi.) 

When one swarm has issued, we can, seven days after, 
take out the combs and cut off all queen cells but one, and 
swarming is stopped for the season. When too much 
drone comb is constructed, cut it out, and substitute 
worker comb in its place, fastening it in the same manner 
as in transferring from the box to the movable comb hive's. 
All suitable comb should be saved for this and similar 
purposes. The path of the moth-worm in the comb can 
be traced to his lurking place, and he can be dragged forth 
to the slaughter without difficulty. The smallest amount 
of sealed honey can be seen at a glance. The amount of 
brood that the colony shall raise may be controlled; instead 
of limiting the area of comb used for that purpose, to a 
very small space, it may be enlarged to any extent by re- 
moving full, and giving empty combs. Notwithstanding 
the danger of receiving more stings, and the greater ex- 
pense of construction, there is a class of bee-keepers un- 
derstanding the value of these conveniences, who will 
make it pay to use them. 



Ob HIVES. 

MOVABLE COMB HIVE AS USED BY THE AUTHOR. 

I will give a full description and manner of making one, 
modified by myself from Langstroth's, being much more 
simple. But he claims that it is not changed sufficiently 
to be released from his patent.* 

DIRECTIONS FOR MAKING. 

I make the hive as follows. Get boards twelve and a 
half inches wide, and one inch in thickness ; cut two 
lengths twenty-one and a half inches, and two, twelve inches. 
If to be painted, they are planed on both sides, other- 
wise only inside — these hives having frames on the inside 
to assist the bees in holding fast, the smooth surface does 
no harm, and has the advantage of saving the bees the 
trouble of waxing over the rough places. The two shorter 
pieces are rabbeted out on the inside upper edge a halt 
inch, to receive the ends of the frames. The whole is now 
thoroughly nailed together, making a box without top or 
bottom. The inside is just 12x19^- inches and 12-|- deep. 
At the bottom, in one end, is an entrance three or four 
inches long, by one : fourth inch deep, also an inch hole half 
way to the top. The stand and roof are made like those 
described for the box hive, only longer. The frames for 
the inside — the point constituting the superiority of the 



*I am not lawyer enough to decide the point, nor whether the other patents 
for movable combs are infringements upon his. Therefore I do not wish any- 
one to take the trouble to write to me for an opinion. I am instructed, however, 
by the owners of several patents, to advise any one disposed to use their hive with 
no opportunity to purchase right, to use it without hesitation, arid when the owner 
calls on them, if they are ready to pay for an individual right, no harm can 
be done. It is generally quite agreeable to have their value thus appreciated. 

That the reader may have an opportunity of choosing among a variety of hives 
of this class, I will give the address of several patentees of hives, to whom he 
may apply for a description : 

L. L. Langstroth, Oxford, Butler Co., Ohio. 

S. Ide, East Shelby, Orleans Co., N. Y. 

T. S. Underhill, Williamsport, Lycoming Co., Pa. 

W. C. Harbison, Chenango, Lawrence Co., Pa. 

Mr. M. Stillwell, Manlius, Onondago Co., N. Y. 



HIVES. 



69 



hive, — are made as follows : First, get out a triangular 
piece of wood, each, side an inch, and eighteen inches 
long ; nail this to one one-fourth inch thick, one inch wide, 
and twenty and one-fourth long. Each end then projects 




Fig. 9. — SIMPLE MOVABLE COMB HIVE. 

beyond the triangular piece one and one-eighth inch. 
Next, get two strips seven-eighths inch wide, by one-fourth 
inch thick, and eleven inches in length, for the ends, then 
one for the bottom seven-eighths wide, three-eighths 
thick, and eighteen inches long, to correspond with the 
triangular piece at the top. Use small finishing nails, and 
drive through the ends of the short pieces into the ends 
of the triangular piece and of the straight piece forming 
the bottom of the frame. When finished, we have a frame 



70 



HIVES. 




eighteen inches long by ten deep, inside. This will go 
down into the hive, and leave a half-inch space between 

the end of the 
frame and the hive. 
The strip that is 
nailed to the tri- 
angular one, with 
projecting ends, 
rests on the rab- 
beting and sup- 
ports it. This is 

Fig. 10.— MOVABLE FRAME. ^q Qn \y part t h at 

touches the hive. Eight of these frames will go in a hive 
that is twelve inches wide, one and one-half inch being 
the right distance from centre to centre. To keep them 
from swinging together at the bottom, a stick one-fourth 
by three-eighths of an inch is put across the middle of the 
hive three-eighths of an inch from the bottom, with wire 
braces in this form. Two small mortises, \ A A.A.A A A A,A 
one-fourth inch deep, hold it in place, -pig. il^wire braces 
It may be put in after the hive is to- to support frame. 
gether, by bending it a little. Very small annealed wire 
will do, cut into pieces long enough to reach through, and 
turn over to the upper side, to hold it firmly The 
points or angles should be just one and one-half inch 
apart, and the bottom of the frame should come down be- 
tween them, within three-eighths of an inch of the piece 
of wood. If it is desired to have the hive smaller than the 
above, the places of one or two frames may be filled by 
a board of the right size ; this is better than to vary the 
size of the hive. It is best to have covers to the boxes all 
alike, so as to fit all hives.* 



* There may be occasions where it is desirable to have very large hives, swell 
as will hold from 12 to 15 frames. I would suggest that it would be economy 
for some colonies to have full employment in the hive, in constructing comb and 




HIVES. 71 

The top or honey-board easiest made, is a board 21^- 
inches long, by 14 wide, and three-fourths inch thick, 
clamped at the ends, with inch holes for passages to the 
boxes. Such boards are not reliable ; notwithstanding 
the clamps, they will sometimes warp sufficiently to let a 
bee slip out. Another one that will keep its shape better, 
is made of several pieces. Two of them are twenty-one 
and a half inches long, by one and one-half wide ; the 
others eleven inches long, two six inches wide, and two 
four inches. They are nailed to- 
gether in this form. The open 
spaces are for the passages into 
the boxes which set over them, 
and are covered with a box that 
fits the outside of the hive, rest- 
ing on a piece one-half or three- 
fourths inch square that is nailed 
around the hive one inch from the top. 

This is the hive that I use principally, and like it rather 
better than I do Mr. Langstroth's. He has fixtures about 
his, that must be considered more ornamental than useful, 
and for which the bees will not perform any extra labor. 
I am not sure but there are other hives conforming to this 
principle that would suit me on the whole as well as this. 
There are some that seem to offer greater conveniences, 
but cost more. Had I begun Avith such, I should probably 
have continued, instead of changing for the more simple 
one that I have adopted. The convenience of having all 

storing winter supplies for those that are deficient. In sections where there is 
considerable clover and buckwheat, it would be well to have them employed in 
the hive during the yield of buckwheat, which is of inferior quality, and brings 
less in market; and get as many combs made and filled as possible, that we 
may give hives nearly filled, to swarms the next season. We may then put on 
boxes at once, and there being but little room in the hive, the bees must of ne- 
cessity store their honey there. This will be the purest quality of clover honey, 
which would otherwise have been used for the elaboration of wax to fill the 
hive with combs. 



72 HIVES. 

the hives alike is great, and to change all would involve 
an undesirable expense. I will notice some of the dif- 
ferent forms, and the reader may decide for himself, which, 
under the circumstances, suits him best, and let this be an 
answer to all who would write me to inquire which I con- 
sider the best hive. 

With the shape of the hive, and arrangement of the 
frames, I am satisfied. The depth is all that the comb 
will sustain when filled with honey, and the greater length 
of each requires a less number to fill the hive. The bees 
will store the back end Avith honey, and rear their brood 
in the front end, and use nearly every comb for both pur- 
poses. This is the rule in properly managed stocks. 
When winter approaches, there are empty cells in the 
front end, and honey enough in the other, to last through 
the cold weather, without obliging the bees to change 
from one comb to another to obtain it. They have only 
to move backward as the honey is consumed, on the same 
principle that they would move upward, in a hive deeper 
from top to bottom than from front to back. I would not 
have these frames the longest way up and down for two 
reasons. Firstly, you could not raise a frame 20 inches in 
length out of the hive and return it, without hitting the 
sides occasionally, and arousing the bees. Secondly, there 
would be too little room on the top for the boxes. When 
horizontal, there is one-third more room on the top for 
this purpose. Most of these movable comb hives are 
nearly square, which shape does not suit me. Some of 
them have ten or twelve frames, seven or eight inches in 
depth, by fourteen or fifteen in length. Towards fall, 
only a part of these, in the middle of the hive, will contain 
brood ; the outside combs are filled throughout with 
honey. The middle combs contain but little, and the bees 
begin the winter here. If they are in the cold, and con- 
sume the little honey there is in these centre combs, they 



HIVES. 73 

are quite sure to starve before getting a supply from the 
outside ones. A winter passage from one comb to the 
other, is very essential when they are housed, but does 
not insure their safety in the open air. 

Of course any bee-hive can be ornamented accord- 
ing to the fancy of the maker. The plain strip 
around the top to support the cap, may be a heavy ogee 
molding, or that cut into dentils would present a tasteful 
appearance. The cap to cover the boxes may be orna- 
mented in the same way, giving the whole a finished ap- 
pearance, with but little trouble or expense. When 
painted let the color be light, and put it on long enough 
before using, to allow the rank smell of the oil to be lost. 
To all who use any of the movable comb hives of 
suitable shape, I would recommend, as a matter of econo- 
my, that they make the straw hive also for wintering in 
the open air, transferring in the beginning of winter. The 
inside should measure the same every way as the wooden 
hive, or a very little larger. None of these hives are very 
good for wintering bees out of doors, without at least a 
straw mat for the top, similar to the one recommended by 
Mr. Harbison. 

STRAW HIVE FOR WINTERING: BEES. 

The straw hive that I use is made as follows : First, get 
out four posts, two inches square, and ten and a half inches 
long. Then, from an inch board make four strips, two 
inches wide and twenty-four and a half long, and four of 
the same width, sixteen and a half inches long. With 
these, make two flat frames, 16|x20f inside, by mortising 
or halving at the corners. Now, set a post at each corner, 
and nail through into the end, and the same with the 
other frame at the other end of the posts, and you have a 
frame ready to receive the straw. Nail a lath around the 
middle, inside, another close to the bottom, and one at the 
4 



74 



HIVES. 



top, letting the ends lap on the posts just enough to be 
held with a nail. Select straight smooth straw, — rye is 
best — cut it just 1(H inches long, moisten it a little, lay the 
hive on its side, and put the straw on the lath, till a little 
more than full, requiring some pressure to make it even 
with the posts. Some screw or lever is necessary to press 
it firmly. Laths corresponding with those inside are to be 
nailed outside, to hold it. Thicker pieces would, per- 
haps, do better. Pieces 1J inches square sawedjn halves, 
diagonally, would do very well, or pieces turned in a lathe, 




Fig. 13.— STRAW HIVE FOR WINTER. 

with beads and moldings, cut in two, and the flat side laid 
next the straw, would improve the appearance. 

A strong box to just fit the inside is quite necessary to 
keep the lath in place while pressing the straw. It is also 
necessary that the two middle laths are fastened together 
by a small annealed wire, to keep them from bending from 
the resistance of the straw when out of the press. The 
wire should be put on the inner one, and the ends remain 
projecting through the straw as it is laid on. When the 



HIVES. 75 

outside piece is nailed on, and before the pressure is re- 
laxed, the wire should be passed around it and twisted to 
hold it firmly. The ends need nothing of the kind. Make 
a mat for the top, by framing together vertically, four 
pieces similar to those used for the hive, rabbet out the 
end pieces on the lower edge one-fourth inch square, to 
hold the ends of the three laths to be nailed on at equal 
distances apart. The straw is filled in and pressed, and 
pieces nailed over, like the sides just described. Mr. Stil- 
well has a hive similar to this in principle, (the shape of 
which I do not like, however,) in which the straw is held 
by sewing with heavy twine, the manner of holding the 
straw forming the base of a patent. Whether it is better 
on the whole, I am unable to say. 

For the Leaf or Underhill hive, or any, where the body 
of combs is separate- from the hive itself, a straw box with 
the top fast to it can be made just large enough to cover 
the frames. The wooden box for summer is simply to be 
lifted off, and the other set over. 

Glass inserted on one or all sides of a hive, makes it 
very interesting, but as we now have the movable comb, 
whereby the interior of the hive may all be brought to 
light, it is of less consequence than when we were obliged 
to depend on external observations for all our knowl- 
edge of the internal arrangements of the hive. 

OBSEKVATORY HIVE. 

The perfect observatory hive, however, can not fail to 
be highly interesting to all who feel a curiosity to behold 
the interior of a bee hive. It can be arranged so readily 
with one or more frames from a full hive, that all who wish 
can have one. One comb the size that I use, and a part 
of a swarm, will exhibit all the phenomena of a full hive. 
If several frames are used, they may be arranged accord- 
ing to fancy or convenience, one above another, or some 



76 BEE PASTUEAGE. 

above, and others at the ends. A mechanic will construct 
a special frame to hold them, and a glazed sash to cover 
each side, giving two inches space between, for the comb. 
The sash on one side should be movable, that the comb 
can be changed occasionally, and if more than one is used, 
that they may all be removed to a regular hive for winter, 
as such observatory hives are not suitable for cold weather. 



CHAPTER IV 

BEE PASTURAGE. 



During the warm days of spring, while the winter's 
snow is melting away, and before the flowers have appear- 
ed, the bees seem anxious to be at work. It is then inter- 
esting to watch them, and ascertain what they will use as 
substitutes for pollen and honey. 



SUBSTITUTE FOR POLLEN. 



At such periods I have seen hundreds engaged upon a 
heap of saw- dust, gathering the minute particles into pel- 
lets on their legs, and seeming quite pleased with the 
acquisition. Rotten wood, when crumbled into dry pow- 
der, is also collected. Flour scattered near the hive is 
taken up in large quantities. Concerning the utility of 
flour as a substitute for pollen, I have now had considera- 
ble experience. Yet much depends on the locality, num- 
ber of the bees, and quantity of snow. Where there are 
but few bees, and little snow, the early flowers appear so 
soon after the bees begin to fly, that flour is of but little 
advantage. But when the number of bees greatly exceeds 
the supply, the flour should be given during pleasant 
days, to promote early breeding, and establish habits of 



BEE PASTURAGE. 77 

industry, as well as to prevent marauding, which is very 
important. 

To feed it advantageously, make a floor a few feet 
square, with a curb around, three or four inches high, 
to prevent waste. When practicable, feed rye, ground 
very fine, and unbolted. The bees seem to like to work 
out the flour and fine particles from among the bran, bet- 
ter than to work in clear flour. Yet the latter will do 
when the former is not to be obtained, but should be 
mixed with cut straw or saw-dust. The bran left by the 
bees may be fed to other stock. When the flowers yield 
pollen in sufficient quantities, they will no longer take the 
flour. It should be remembered that flour feed is only 
advantageous in the earliest part of the season. Unless 
it can be given then, it is useless to take the trouble. 

SUBSTITUTE FOR HONEY. 

A substitute for a small quantity of honey is found in 
the sap of a few kinds of trees. A syrup made from su- 
gar is a very good substitute for honey. 

MANNER OP PACKING POLLEN. 

The particular manner of packing pollen has been sat- 
isfactorily witnessed by but very few persons, as the oper- 
ation is mostly performed on the wing, thereby preventing 
a fair chance for minutely inspecting it. When collecting 
pollen only, they light upon the flowers, and pass rapidly 
over the stamens, detaching a portion of the dust, which 
lodges on most parts of them, and is brushed together, 
and packed into pellets when they are again on the wing. 
While the bees are gathering flour, the process is more 
readily seen. 

The Italians may often be seen appropriating old 
bits of comb that have been squeezed together, and 
propolis from old boards of broken hives. They merely 



78 BEE PASTTTEAGE. 

bite off little particles, and pack them on their thighs, be- 
fore they rise on the wing. As soon as a load is obtained, 
they immediately return to the hive, each bee bringing 
several loads in a day. Honey, as it is collected, is depo- 
sited in the abdomen, and kept out of sight until stored in 
the hive. 

The time that bees commence their labors in the spring 
does not by any means govern the time of swarming ; this 
depends upon the weather through April and May. 

FLOWERS THAT YIELD THE FIRST POLLEN. 

The first material gathered from flowers is pollen. 
Common or Candle Alder, (Alnus serrulata) and Skunk 
Cabbage, (Symploearpus foetidus,) yield the first supply. 
In this latitude (42°) their time of flowering varies from 
March 10th to April 20th. The amount of pollen they 
afford is also variable. Cold freezing weather frequently 
destroys a great portion of the flowers after they are out. 
The staminate flowers of the alder are nearly perfected 
the previous season, and a few warm days in spring will 
develop them before any leaves appear. When the weather 
continues fine, great quantities of ppllen are secured. Our 
swamps produce several kinds of willows (/Salix) that put 
out their blossoms very irregularly. Some of these bushes 
are a month earlier than others, and some of the buds on 
the same bush are a week or two later than the rest. 
These also afford only pollen, but are a much more sure de- 
pendence than the alder ; a turn of cold weather can not 
at any time destroy more than a small proportion of the 
flowers. The Aspen, (Populus tremuloides) which comes 
next, is not a particular favorite with the bees, as but few, 
comparatively, visit it. It is followed very soon by an 
abundance of the Red Maple, {Acer rubrum,) that suits 
them better, but this, like some others, is often lost by 
freezing. 



BEE PASTURAGE. 79 

FIRST HONEY. 

The first honey of any account is obtained from the 
Golden Willow, (Salix vitellina); which is seldom injured 
by frost. Gooseberries, currants, cherries, pear and peach 
trees contribute a share of both honey and pollen. Sugar 
Maple, (Acer saccharinum) throws out its ten thousand 
beautiful silken tassels with a bounteous yield of tempting 
nectar. Strawberries modestly open their petals in invi- 
tation, but like " obscure virtues," are often neglected for 
the more conspicuous Dandelion, and the showy and fra- 
grant blossoms of the Apple, which now open their stores, 
and offer to the bees a real harvest. 

FRUIT FLOWERS IMPORTANT. 

In good weather, a gain of 20 pounds is sometimes ad- 
ded to the hives during the period of apple blossoms. 
But we are seldom fortunate enough to have continuous 
good weather, as it is often rainy, cloudy, cool -or windy, 
all of which conditions are very detrimental. A frost will 
sometimes destroy all, and the gain of our bees is reversed, 
that is, their stores are lighter at the end than at the be- 
ginning of this season of flowers. Yet this season often 
decides the prosperity of the bees for the summer. If 
there is good weather now, we expect our first swarms 
about June 1st ; if not, no subsequent yield of honey will 
make up the deficiency. 

We now have a time of several days, from 10 to 14, in 
which there are but few flowers. If our hives are poorly 
supplied when this scarcity occurs, it will so disarrange 
their plans for swarming, that no preparations are again 
made much before July, and sometimes not at all. In 
sections where the wild cherry, (JPrunies serotina) abounds, 
these flowers will appear, and fill the period of scarcity 
which this section annually presents. The Locust, (Mobinia 
Pseudacacia), blossoms at this time, and where it is suffi- 



80 BEE PASTURAGE. 



ciently abundant, is valuable as bee food, while it is also 
well worthy of cultivation for timber. 



RED RASPBERRY A FAVORITE. 

The Red Raspberry, (Rubus strigosus) now presents 
the stamens as the most conspicuous part of the flower, 
soliciting the attention of the bee, by pouring out the 
bounteous libations so highly prized by our industrous in- 
sect. For several weeks they are allowed to partake of 
this exquisite beverage ; it is secreted at all hours, and in 
all kinds of weather. "When the morning is warm, we 
often hear their cheerful humming among the leaves 
and flowers of this shrub, before the sun appears above 
the horizon. The gentle shower, sufhcient to induce man 
to seek shelter, is often unheeded by the bee when luxuri- 
ating among these flowers; even white clover, important 
as it is in furnishing the greatest part of the stores, would 
be neglected at this season, if the raspberry only yielded 
a full supply. Clover begins to blossom with the rasp- 
berry, and continues longer. 

HONEY FROM RED CLOVER. 

Red clover probably secretes as much honey as the 
white, but the tube of the corolla being longer, common 
bees appear to be unable to reach it. I have seen a few 
at work upon it, but it appeared to be slow business. The 
Italians work on it sometimes, apparently out of choice. 

Sorrel, (Miimex acetosetta), the pest of many farmers, is 
brought under contribution by the bees, and furnishes 
pollen in any quantity. Morning is the only part of the 
day appropriated to its collection. 

CATNIP ONE OF THE BEST HONEY YIELDING PLANTS. 

Catnip {Nepeta Cataria), Mother wort, {Leonurus Cardi- 
aoa), and Hoarhound (Marruhium vidgare,) put forth 



BEE PASTURAGE. 81 

their flowers about the middle of June, rich in sweetness, 
and like the raspberry, the bees visit them at all hours, 
and in nearly all kinds of weather. They remain in bloom 
from four to six weeks ; in a few instances I have known the 
catnip to last twelve, yielding honey during the whole time. 
If there is-any plant that I would cultivate especially for 
honey, it would be catnip. I find nothiug to surpass it. 
Borage has been recommended as yielding abundantly, 
and worthy of cultivation, but the profusion of flowers 
produced by the catnip, seems to excel it. The Alsike or 
Swedish white clover has also much to recommend it. 
The plant being valuable for soiling cattle, or for hay, 
would be a desirable acquisition to the bee-keeping farmer, 
as well as to others on whose land it will thrive. It does 
not do well on sandy soil, with me. 

Ox-eye Daisy (JOeucanthemum viclgare), a beautiful 
flower in 'pasture and meadow, and worth but little in 
either, also contains some honey. The flower is compound, 
and each little floret secretes so minute a quantity that the 
task of obtaining a load is very tedious. It is only visited 
when the more copiously honey-yielding flowers are scarce. 
The Toad-flax or Snap-dragon, (Linaria vulgaris), with 
its disagreeable odor, troubling the farmer with its vile 
presence, is made to bestow the only good thing about it, 
except its beauty, xipon our insect. The flower is large and 
tubular, and to reach the honey the bee must enter it. To 
see the bee almost disappear within the folds of the corolla, 
one would think it was about being swallowed, but it soon 
emerges, covered with dust, unharmed, from the yellow 
prison. This is not brushed into pellets on its legs, like 
the pollen from some other floAvers, and some adheres to 
its back, between the»wings, which it is apparently unable 
to remove, as it often remains there for months. Bush 
Honey-suckle, (DierviMa trifida), is another particular fa- 
vorite. 

4* 



82 BEE PASTURAGE. 

SINGULAR FATALITY ATTENDANT ON SILKWEED. 

Silkweed, (Asclepias Comuti), is another honey -yielding 
perennial, but a singular fatality befalls many bees while gath- 
ering honey from it, that I never have seen noticed./ I have 
observed during the period this plant was in bloom, that a 
number of the bees belonging to hives not full, were unable 
to ascend the sides to the comb ; there would be some times 
thirty or more at the bottom in the morning. On searching 
for the cause, I found from one to ten thin yellow scales, of 
a long pear-shape, and about the twentieth part of an inch 
long, attached to their feet: At the small end was a black 
thread-like substance, from a sixteenth to an eighth of an 
inch in length ; on this stem was a glutinous matter, that 
firmly adhered to each foot or claw of the bee, preventing 
it from climbing the sides of the hive. I also found this 
appendage attached to bees clustered outside of full hives, 
but it appeared to be no inconvenience to them", j Among 
the scales of wax, and waste matter that accumulates 
about the swarms to some extent, I found a great many 
of these scales which the bees had worked from their feet. 
The question then arose, were these scales a foreign sub- 
stance, accidentally entangled in their claws, or was it a 
natural formation? It was soon decided. From the 
number of be£s carrying it, I was satisfied that if it were 
the product of any flower, it belonged to a species some- 
what abundant. I made a close examination of all such as 
were then in bloom. I found the flowers of the Silk-weed 
or Milk-weed, sometimes holding a dead bee by the foot, 
secured by this appendage. Both sepals and petals of this 
flower are turned backward towards the stem, forming 
five acute angles or notches, just the trap for a bee with 
this attachment. When at work, they are very liable to 
slip a foot into one of these notches ; the flower being thick 
and firm, holds it fast, and pulling only draws it deeper in the 
wedge-like cavity. The appendage which causes so much 



BEE PASTUBA.GE. 83 

trouble to the bees, is the pollen of the Silk-weed, which 
in all the species has a singular form. Instead of being, as 
is the case in most flowers, a fine dust, the pollen grains 
are stuck together in little waxy masses or scales, and these 
are joined together in pairs by the thread-like appendage 
above noticed. These masses are, in the flower, each 
lodged in a little pouch with only the attachment exposed, 
and were it not for the agency of bees and other insects, 
the pollen would not be dislodged from these pouches and 
brought in contact with the pistil of the flower. When I 
point out a loss among bees, I would like to give a reme- 
dy, but here I am unable to do so. I am not sure but 
honey enough is obtained by such bees as escape, to coun- 
terbalance the loss. 

Whitewood, (Liriodendron Tidipifera), yields some- 
thing eagerly sought for by the bees, but whether honey 
or pollen, or both, I have never ascertained. Mr. Harbi- 
son asserts it to be honey. I have never examined the 
flowers. It is very scarce in Montgomery and Greene 
Counties. Mr. Langstroth speaks of it as " one of the 
greatest honey-producing trees in the world. As its blos- 
soms expand in succession, new swarms will sometimes fill 
their hives from this source alone." 

BASSWOOD VERT IMPORTANT. __ 

Basswood, {Tilia Americana), is abundant in some pla- 
ces, and yields honey clear and transparent as water, of a 
delicious flavor, with a perceptible, yet not unpleasant 
taste of mint. During the time this tree is in bloom, a 
period of two or three weeks, in many sections, astonishing 
quantities are obtained when the weather is favorable. It 
is less likely to be cut off by bad weather, than other blos- 
soms. A person once assured me that he had known ten 
pounds of honey collected in a day, while this was in 
flower, by one swarm. I have seen a statement by a wri- 



84 BEE PASTURAGE. 

ter in Wisconsin, that " hives have increased in weight 
one hundred pounds while this tree was in bloom." I 
think these statements are quite as large as can be credited. 
I have no comparable experience. I have weighed hive3 
during the seasons of apple blossoms, buckwheat and clo- 
ver, the best source of honey wherever I have kept bees, 
and three and one-half pounds is the greatest yield I ever 
found in one day. As a shade tree, Basswood, or as some- 
times called, Linden, ranks with the finest. It is hardy, 
and bears transplanting better than most kinds. This 
stately tree with its graceful clusters of fragrant flowers, 
adorns village or country grounds, while the soft music of 
the industrious bee, among the branches, is attractive to 
the dullest ear. The honey resources of the country might 
be greatly increased by planting such trees. 

Sumach, (Hhics gldbr'a), is rich in its quality and yield 
of honey. The shrubs coming into bloom in succession, 
the supply is protracted beyond the duration of one set of 
blossoms. Mustard, (Sinapis nigra), is also a great fa- 
vorite. Its cultivation is remunerative for its seed alone, 
and when we add the advantage that it is to the bees, there 
seems to be a sufficient inducement to cultivate it. 

I have now mentioned most of the honey-producing trees 
and plants, which bloom before the middle of July. The 
course of these flowers is termed the first yield. In sec- 
tions where there are no crops of buckwheat, it con- 
stitutes the only full one. Other flowers continue to bloom 
until cold weather. Where white clover is abundant, and 
the fields are used for pasture, it will continue' to throw 
out fresh flowers, sometimes, throughout the entire sum- 
mer, yet the bees consume about all they collect, in rearing 
their brood, etc. Thus, it appears, that in some sections 
the bees have only about six or eight weeks in which to 
provide for winter. 



BEE PASTURAGE. 85 

HONEY DEW. 

Honey dew is said to be a source whence large collections 
are made in some places. When or where it appears or disap- 
pears, is more than I can tell, from my own experience. 
Twelve years ago, I expressed what was taken for doubt ot 
the existence of any such substance. To enlighten me on the 
subject, and give ocular demonstration, some of my friends, 
living where it was found, have kindly sent me specimens 
— leaves covered with it — for my inspection. It appeared 
and tasted as if some saccharine substance somewhat dilu- 
ted, had been spread evenly over the upper side of the leaf, 
and the watery particles had evaporated. I have seen de- 
scriptions of it as found somewhere, well towards the 
Golden State, that exceeded any thing I ever heard of in 
the Eastern States. It was described as covering leaves 
and branches in such quantities as to bend them down 
with the excessive weight. The quantity was so great as 
to induce an effort to collect it by hand. The question as 
to its origin has been pretty thoroughly discussed without 
arriving at any particularly clear conclusion. It is generally 
attributed to the Aphis or Plant Louse. It will be seen 
that this theory of its_ origin will account for only a part 
of the phenomena. Some years ago, in the month of Au- 
gust, I noticed on passing under some willow trees, {Salix 
yitellina), that the grass and stones were covered with a 
wet or shining substance. I found that nearly all the 
smallest branches were covered with a species of large 
aphis, apparently engaged in sucking the juices, and oc- 
casionally discharging a minute drop of a transparent 
liquid. I guessed this might be honey dew. I visited the 
place again after sunrise, to see if there were any bees 
collecting it. I found them in hundreds, together with 
ants, hornets, and wasps. Some were on the branches with 
the aphis, others on the leaves, and some on the grass and 
stones. This liquid, ejected by the aphis when sucking 



86 BEE PASTURAGE. 

the juices of tender leaves or branches, and received by 
ants that are usually in attendance, is probably the 
honey clew of many writers. Ants, instead of bees, gen- 
erally collect it. These insects have been very appropri- 
ately termed " ants' cows," as they are regarded by them 
with the most tender care and solicitude. In July or Au- 
gust, when the majority of the leaves of the apple trees 
are matured, there are often a few sprouts or suckers about 
the lower part of the trunk, that continue growing and 
putting out fresh leaves. On the under side of these, you 
will find this insect by hundreds, of all sizes, from those 
just hatched to the perfect aphis. All appear to be en- 
gaged in sucking the bitter juice from the tender leaf and 
stalk. The ants are among them by scores. The careless 
observer often accuses them of doing the injury instead of 
the aphis. Occasionally there will issue from the abdo- 
men of the aphis a small transparent" globule, which the 
ant is ready to receive. When a load is obtained, it de- 
scends to the nest. Many other kinds of trees and plants 
are used by the ants as " cow pasture," and most kinds of 
ants are engaged in this dairy business. Would the bees 
attend the aphis for this secretion if .the ants left any to be 
gathered ? Or, if there were no ants or bees, would this 
secretion be discharged and falling on the leaves below 
them, be honey dew ? If they were situated on some lof- 
ty trees, and it lodged on the leaves of small bushes nearer 
the earth, it would be considered such by some. 

TJNTJSUAL SECRETION. 

I once discovered bees collecting a secretion unconnect- 
ed with flowers, but which was not honey dew, as it has 
been described. I was passin g a bush of Witch-hazel, 
{Hamamcelis Virginiana), and my attention was arrested 
by an unusual humming of bees. At first I supposed that 
a swarm was about me, yet it was late in the season, July 



BEE PASTURAGE. 87 

25th. On close inspection, I found numerous warty ex- 
crescences upon the bush, of the size and shape of a hick- 
ory nut. These proved to he only shells, the inside being 
lined with thousands of minute insects, a species of aphis. 
These appeared to be sucking the juices, and discharging 
a clear transparent fluid. Near the stem was an orifice 
about an eighth of an inch in diameter, out of which this 
liquid exuded gradually. So eager were the bees for this 
secretion, that several of them crowded around one orifice 
at a time, each endeavoring to thrust the other away. 
This occurred several years ago, and I have never been 
able to find any thing like it since, neither have I learned 
whether it is common in other sections. 

Within a few years past, a species of aphis has appeared 
on the grain in many sections, covering the straw in 
myriads, sucking the juices and secreting at the time a 
saccharine substance, which is collected by the bees. Cor- 
respondents from some of the Western States, particularly 
Wisconsin, write that the bees gather large quantities of 
this, and that as winter food it proves unhealthy, causing 
dysentery, etc. I have received numerous applications for 
a remedy, but as I have not had the least experience, I 
cannot advise. This secretion being more animal than 
vegetable, is an unnatural aliment for the bee, and as 
might be expected, is unhealthy. According to the pre- 
diction of Dr. Fitch, this race of insects will soon disappear, 
and our bee-keeping friends may expect better times. I 
remember hearing it predicted when I was a boy, that a 
certain winter would " be a bad one for bees," because 
they were seen obtaining honey dew from hickory leaves. 
The question arises, Was the effect of an unnatural sub- 
stance taken by the bees forty years ago, similar to that 
produced by the secretions from the aphis in later years ? 
All this does not explain the origin of honey dew, unless 
we admit two or more sources. Honey dew is found in 



88 BEE PASTURAGE. 

the open field where no tree is standing above to shower 
it upon leaves below. It is found on leaves, having no 
traces of the aphis near them. How did it get there ? 
Did the leaves secrete it ? I am not yet ready to admit 
this. If leaves produce it, why is it not found in this section ? 

In passing I have not mentioned garden flowers, because 
the amount obtained from them, especially ornamental 
flowers, is inconsiderable, compared to that from forest 
and field. It is true that the Hollyhock, (Althea rosea), 
Mallows, (Malva rotundifolia) , Mignonette, {Reseda 
odoraia), and many others yield honey, but of small ac- 
count. A person who expects to have his hives filled from 
such a source, will be very likely to be disappointed, un- 
less his number of stocks is very limited. 

We will now notice the flowers that appear after the 
middle of July. The Button-ball, (Cephalanthus ociden- 
talis) is much frequented for honey. Also our vines — 
melons, cucumbers, squashes and pumpkins. The latter 
are visited only in the morning, and honey is the only 
thing obtained. Notwithstanding the bee is covered with 
farina, it is not kneaded into pellets on its legs. I have 
seen it stated that bees get pollen early in the morning, 
instead of honey. It is not best to always take our word, 
about such matters, but examine for yourselves. Take a 
look some warm mornhig, when the pumpkins are in 
bloom, and see whether it is honey or pollen of which 
they are in quest. 

Under some circumstances, clover will continue to 
bloom through this part of the season, and a few other 
flowers also, but I find by weighing, a loss from one to six 
pounds between July 20th and August 10th, at which time 
Buckwheat usually begins to yield honey, which generally 
proves a second harvest. 



BEE PASTURAGE. 89 

BUCKWHEAT HONEY. 

In several counties in this State, so little of this grain is 
raised, that the " honey can not be found in the hive or 
boxes. But in many places it is the main dependence, the 
bees seldom getting more than a winter supply from the 
early flowers. This honey is considered by many to be of 
inferior quality. Its color, when separated from the comb, 
resembles molasses of medium shade. The taste is more 
pungent than that of clover honey ; it is particularly prized 
on that account by some, and disliked by others for the 
same reason. When swarms issuing as late as July 15th, 
commence on buckwheat, they will sometimes contain not 
more than five pounds of stores, and yet make good stocks 
for winter, whereas without this yield, they might not live 
through October. This crop fails about once in ten years. 
I have known a swarm to gain sixteen pounds in one week, 
and construct comb to store it in at the same time. I 
Once had a swarm issue August 18th, that obtained 30 
pounds in about eighteen days. But such buckwheat ' 
swarms, in ordinary seasons, seldom get over 15 pounds. 
The buckwheat flowers last from three to five weeks. The 
time of sowing varies in different sections, from June 10th 
to July 20th. Farmers wish to give it just time to ripen 
before frost, as the yield of grain is considered better, 
but as the time of frost is a matter of uncertainty, some 
sow several days earlier than others. Whenever an abun- 
dant crop of this grain is realized, a proportionable quanti- 
ty of honey is obtained.* 

DO BEES EST JURE THE GRAIN? 

Many people contend that bees are an injury to this 
crop, by taking away the substance that would be formed 

* A friend informs me that, in 1863, the bees in some parts of Albany Co., N. 
Y., refused to swarm before buckwheat blossomed, and that between the 1st 
and 10th of August he had one*hundred swarms. Many of them stored abun 
dance for winter, and gained considerable surplus ; in some instances, 28 lbs. 



90 BEE PASTURAGE. 

into grain. The best reasons that I have obtained for such 
an opinion, are these : " I believe it, and have thought so 
for a long time." " It is reasonable, that if a portion of 
the plant is taken away by the bees, there must be less 
material left for the formation of seed, etc." Most of us 
have learned that a person's opinion is not the strongest 
kind of proof. Are the above reasons satisfactory ? How 
are the facts? The flowers open, and honey is secreted. 
If the bee does not lick it up, it dries up and is wasted. 
'Now, what is the difference to the plant, whether the 
honey is lost in this way, or is collected by the bees ? 
If there is any difference, the advantage appears to be in 
favor of collection by the bees, for the reason that it thus 
answers an important end in the economy of nature, con- 
sistent with her provisions in ten thousand different ways 
of adapting means to ends. Most breeders of domestic 
animals are aware of the degeneration induced by in-and-in 
breeding, and that a change of breed is necessary for im- 
provement, etc. Vegetable physiology seems to indicate a 
similar necessity among plants. The stamens and pistils 
of flowers answer for the two sexes in animals. The pistil 
is connected with the ovaries, and the stamens furnish 
the pollen that must come in contact with the pistil ; in 
other words, it must be impregnated by this dust from the 
stamens, or no fruit will be produced. Now, if it be ne- 
cessary to change the breed, or essential that the pollen 
produced by the stamens of one flower shall fertilize the 
pistils of another, to prevent barrenness, what could we 
contrive better than the arrangement already made by 
Him who knew the necessity, and planned it accordingly ! 
And it works so admirably that we can hardly avoid the 
conclusion that this was an important part of the design 
in creating bees. Their food consists of honey and pollen ; 
each flower secretes but a little, jus£ enough to attract the 
bee, for nothing like a full load is obtained from one ; 



BEE PASTURAGE. - 91 

were it otherwise, the end in view would not be answered. 
A hundred or more flowers are often visited in one excur- 
sion, and the pollen obtained from the first may fertilize 
many others previous to the return of the bee to the hive. 
By such a cross-fertilizing, a field of buckwheat may be 
kept in health . and vigor in its future productions. A 
field of wheat produces long slender stalks that bend to 
the breeze, and one ear is made to bestow its pollen on an 
ear several feet distant, thereby effecting just what bees 
do for buckwheat. Corn, from its manner of growth, the 
upright stalks bearing the stamens some feet above the 
pistils on the ears below, seems to need no agency of bees ; 
the superabundant pollen from the tassel is wafted by the 
wind several rods from the stalk that produces it, and 
there does its work of fertilizing the distant ear, as is 
proved by the mixing of different varieties . at some dis- 
tance. 

BEES NECESSARY TO ESTSTIKE A CHOP. 

But how is it with the vines trailing on the ground, a 
part of the flowers producing stamens, the others pistils ? 
It is absolutely essential to produce fruit, that pollen from 
the staminate flowers shall be introduced into the pistillate 
ones ; if this fails to occur, the germ will wither and die. In 
the bee we have an agent ready for the purpose ; both stami- 
nate and pistillate flowers are visited promiscuously by it, the 
pollen, not being kneaded into pellets, (particularly that from 
pumpkins,) adheres to every part of the body, rendering 
it next to impossible for the bee to enter a pistillate flower 
without leaving a portion of the fertilizing dust in its pro- 
per place. Hence it is reasonably inferred by many, that 
if it were not for this agent among our vines, the uncer- 
tainty of a crop from non-fertilization, would render their 
cultivation a useless task. When the aphis is located on 
the stalk or leaf of a plant, it is furnished with means to 



92 BEE PASTURAGE. 

pierce the surface, and extract the juices essential to its 
formation, thereby preventing a vigorous growth and full 
development. ' This idea is too apt to he associated with 
the bee when it visits the flower, as if it were armed with 
a spear, to pierce bark or stem, and rob it of its nourish- 
ment. An examination of the structure of the bee will 
show us that this cannot be the case. Its slender, brush- 
like tongue, folded closely under its neck, and seldom seen 
except when in use, is not fitted to pierce the most delicate 
substance ; all that it can be used for is to sweep or lick 
up the nectar as it exudes from the flower ; this is secreted 
for no other ^purpose, it would seem, than to attract the bee. 
The most delicate petal receives no injury while the bee is 
using the instrument nature has provided for obtaining 
the sweets. During one excursion the bee seldom visits 
more than a single species of flower ; were it otherwise, 
and all kinds were visited promiscuously, the fertilizing of 
one species with the pollen from another, would be quite 
likely to produce some hybrids among plants. Writers, 
when noticing this j>eculiarity of instinct, cannot be con- 
tent, but must add other marvels. They follow this trait 
still farther, and make the bee store every kind by itself in 
the hive. 

TWO KINDS OP POLLEN STOKED IN ONE CELL. 

With regard to honey it is not easy to ascertain ; but 
pollen is of different colors, generally yellow, but some- 
times pale-green, and reddish or dark -brown. I think a 
little patient inspection will satisfy any one that two 
kinds are sometimes packed in one cell. I will admit that 
two colors are seldom found thus, but it is sometimes the 
case. I have found it thus; and proved this assertion 
worthless. 



BEE PASTUEAGE. \)3 

NO TEST OF THE PBESENCE OF THE QUEEN. 

It is asserted that " if a hive loses its queen, no pollen 
is collected." Also, " that such quantities are sometimes 
collected, and so many cells are filled, that too little room 
is left for brood, and the stock rapidly dwindles in conse- 
quence." The first of these assertions has been offered as 
a test to determine the presence of a queen. My bees 
have such a habit of doing wrong, that it is no test what- 
ever. I think I can explain the mystery of a stock 
containing an unusual quantity of bee-bread with the 
honey, and show that instead of this being the cause of a 
scarcity of bees, it is the effect. Stocks and sometimes 
swarms lose their queen in the swarming season — (see par- 
ticulars in chap, x,) when, instead of remaining idle, they 
collect the usual quantity of pollen and honey. There 
being no larvse to consume the pollen, the consequence is, 
more than half the breeding cells will contain it ; they 
will be packed about two-thirds full, and finished out with 
honey. I have known large families to be left under such 
circumstances, and about all the cells hi the hive were thus 
occupied. Whereas, in a stock containing a queen, and 
rearing brood, a portion of the combs will be used for this 
purpose until the flowers fail, when such comb will be 
found empty. In order to ascertain whether this extra 
quantity of the bee-bread was so very detrimental, I have 
introduced into such hive in the fall, a family with a queen, 
wintered them in it, and watched their prosperity another 
year, and never found them unprofitable on that account. 
I am so well satisfied of this that whenever I now have a 
hive in such a situation, I make it a rule to introduce a 
colony with queen. 

It is generally calculated that when medium sized hives 
.are full, about seven-eighths of the cells are of the proper 
size for raising workers ; the remainder, except a few de- 
signed for queens, are of the size for drones. 



94 BEE PASTURAGE. 

BEE BREAD SELDOM PACKED EST DRONE CELLS. 

Bee bread is generally exclusively packed in the worker 
cells. I might as well remark here, that when taking combs 
from a hive filled with honey, if such pieces were selected 
as contained drone cells, there would be but little risk of 
finding bee-bread ; the outside sheets, and the upper cor- 
ners of the others are next best. The sheets of comb used 
principally for raising workers, and the cells adjoining 
those used for breeding, for an inch or two in width, are 
nearly all packed with pollen, and much of it will remain 
when the breeding season is past. Smaller portions are 
found in the worker cells in nearly all parts of the hive ; 
even the boxes will sometimes contain a little. 

MANNER OF DISCHAKGLNG POLLEN. 

In a glass hive the bees may be seen depositing their 
loads of pollen. The legs holding the pellets are thrust 
into the cell, and a motion like rubbing them together is 
made for half a minute, when they are withdrawn, and the 
two little loaves of bread may be seen at the bottom. 
This bee appears to take no farther care about them, but 
another will soon come along, enter the cell head first, and 
pack it close. The cell is filled about two-thirds of its 
length in this way, and when sealed over, a little honey is 
used to fill it out. To witness the operation of depositing 
honey, a glass hive or box is requisite, as the edges of the 
combs will be attached to the glass. 

DISCHARGLNG HONEY. 

"When honey is abundant, most of these half cells next 
the glass will contain some. The bee goes to the bottom 
of the cell, deposits a particle of honey, and brushes it in- 
to the corners or angles with its tongue, carefully exclud- 
ing all the air. As it is filled, that next the sides of the 
cells is kept in advance of the centre. This is just as a 



BSE PASTURAGE. 95 

philosopher would say it should be done. If it were filled 
at once, and no care taken to attach it to the sides, the 
external air would not keep it in place, as it now does, 
effectually, Avhen the cell is of ordinary length. When 
the cell is about one-fourth of an inch deep, they often 
commence filling it, and as it is lengthened, they continue 
to add honey, keeping it within an eighth of an inch of 
the ends, it is never quite full, till nearly sealed over, and 
often not then. In worker cells the sealing seldom touches 
the honey. But in drone cells the case is different. The 
honey on the end touches the sealing about half way up. 
It is kept in the same concave shape while being filled, 
but being in a larger cell, the atmospheric pressure is less 
effectual in keeping it in its place ; consequently, when 
they commence sealing these cells, they begin on the low- 
er side, and finish at the top. Yfhen storing honey in 
boxes, cells of this size are usually much longer, in which 
case they are crooked, the ends turning upward, some- 
times half an inch or more. This, of course, will prevent 
the honey from running, but if the box is taken off, and 
turned over before such cells are sealed, they are very sure to 
lose much of their contents. The drone cells of ordinary 
length, in the breeding department, will hold the honey 
well enough as long as they remain horizontal, but turn 
the hive on its side, and bring the open end downward, 
in hot weather, or break out a piece and hold it in that 
position, the air will not keep the honey in place, but will 
do so in the worker cells. 

S0J1E CELLS CONTAINING HONEY FOE, DAILY USE. 

. I never examined a hive, fully supplied with bees and 
honey, in winter or summer, but it had a number of un- 
sealed cells containing honey, as well as pollen, unless it 
was destitute of a queen. They will always have some 
cells open for daily use, even if they have stored a large 



96 BEE PASTUKAGE. 

quantity in boxes, and are so crowded for room as to 
store honey outside, or under the bottom boards. 

COMBS CONSTRUCTED AS NEEDED. 

YouDg swarms seem unwilling to construct combs faster 
than needed for use. This would appear, at first thought, 
to be a lack of economy. When no honey is obtained, 
and there is nothing to do, it would seem to. be well to 
get ready for a yield, but this is not their way of doing 
business. Whether they can not spare the honey already 
collected to elaborate the wax, or whether they find it 
more difficult to keep the worms from a large quantity of 
comb, I shall not presume to decide. If honey is abun- 
dant, large swarms, when first located, will extend their 
combs from top to bottom in a little more than two weeks, 
but such hive is not yet full. Some sheets of comb may 
contain honey throughout their entire length, and not a 
' cell be sealed over, but the bees generally find time to 
finish up to within a few inches of the lower end as they 
proceed. Whenever unfinished cells contain honey, it will 
generally be removed soon after the flowers fail, and used 
before that which is sealed, and the cells will remain empty 
till another year. 

BEST SEASON FOB HONEY. 

The inquiry is often made, " Which is best for bees, a 
wet or dry season?" I have studied this point very 
closely, and have found that a medium between the two 
extremes produces the most honey. When farmers begin 
to express fears of a drought, then is the time, if in the 
season of flowers, that most honey is usually obtained, but 
if dry weather is much protracted, the quantity is greatly 
diminished. Of the two extremes, a very wet season is 
perhaps the worst. 



BEE PASTUKAGE. 97 

HOW MANY STOCKS MAY BE KEPT. 

" What number of stocks can he kept in one place?" Is 
a question so often asked that it indicates an unusual in- 
terest in the subject. I shall differ more in opinion here, 
with some of our best authors, than on most other points. 
Mr. Langstroth expresses himself very confidently that 
over-stocking has never happened in this country, and 
that there is no prospect of it. He gives us, on the au- 
thority of Mr. Wagner, the number of stocks to the; 
square mile in many sections of Europe. I will give one 
or two items. " In the Kingdom of Hanover, 141 stocks, 
are estimated to the square mile." " In the Province of 
Atica, in Greece, containing 45 square miles, 20,000 hives 
are kept." " A Province in Holland contains 2000 colon- 
ies per square mile." 

The honey yielded from the flowers in this section, 
(Montgomery Co., 1ST. Y.,) in 1863 would have supported 
but a small part of that number, through the season. As 
it was, we had too few and too many. Let me explain. 
From about the 15th to the 30th of June, clover yielded 
honey, and the bees seemed to improve the time, indus- 
triously storing the usual quantity. I presume that dumio 
this period, thrice the number would have done equally 
well. Those who have recommended keeping such large 
numbers must have had such a yield as this in view. In 
Europe, where so many are reported to be kept, it must 
be thus throughout the season. But with us, after the 
latter date, but few plants produced honey ; even Bass- 
wood seemed to yield but little. A few plants, such as 
catnip, motherwort, and silkweed, furnished enough to 
have kept a half dozen colonies in thriving condition, but 
when this amount was divided among hundreds, there was 
not enough to keep all alive. When buckwheat blossom- 
ed, there was perhaps enough for half a dozen hives to the 
square mile, and this number might have shown results 
5 



98 BEE PASTUKAGE. 

equal to those in Albany Co.,— 50 pounds to a colony — as 
the flowers appeared to yield abundantly, each hive ob- 
taining five or six pounds. Is it not evident that we were 
overstocked after July 1st? The summer of '64 gave a 
bounteous yield of honey until July 10th, when the supply 
was diminished, probably by drought. I say probably, 
because we can not always tell to what cause to attribute 
the greater or less abundance of the supply. Before said 
date, any number of colonies, apparently, would have done 
well, but since that time, one-tenth of the actual number 
kept would have collected the whole yield. Yet it was 
jDrofitable to keep about fifteen to the square mile. It will 
always be impossible to know exactly how many can be 
kept; some seasons produce bounteously, others, a partial 
supply, and some almost none at all. As it is difficult to 
tell beforehand what to expect, it is well to exercise some 
caution. Whoever begins with excessive numbers, must 
expect sometime to be overtaken with serious disaster. 
The sight of a hundred or two colonies, actually starving 
in December, is rather unpleasant to a sensitive mind. 
One must lay up a store of fortitude, in prosperous times, 
to last him through such seasons of discouragement. 

It is an advantage to keep as large a number as will 
possibly do well in one yard. They may be taken care oi 
with much less proportional expense. It would not do to 
hire a man to take charge of every eight or ten hives, al- 
though the average profit of the few would be much 
greater than with a large number. One man can take 
care of 200 stocks, especially if he uses the movable comb 
hive, and the reduction in the expense would more than 
balance the larger profits from the smaller apiaries. I 
would not advise keeping very large apiaries, until war- 
ranted by experience in their care. Also the resources of 
a country should be gradually tested. A honey-producing 
country may be like a grazing region. One field may 



BEE PASTURAGE. 99 

pasture ten times as many cattle as another, and the same 
difference may be true of pasturage for bees. 

PKESTCrPAL SOtTKCES OF HONEY. 

There are three principal sources of honey, viz : clover, 
buckwheat and basswood. Clover is the only universal 
dependence, as that is found almost everywhere, in greater 
or less profusion. Buckwheat is the main source in some 
places. Basswood is of brief duration, but comes in very 
opportunely where it abounds, just as clover begins to fail, 
and before buckwheat appears. Where all these are 
abundant, there is the true Eldorado of the apiarian. Yet 
to find a place where there is .a great plenty of both clover 
and buckwheat is very difficult. I have failed after a long 
and patient search. I find clover, without buckwheat, in 
satisfactory abundance. But when I begin to find buck- 
wheat, clover correspondingly diminishes. Where buck- 
wheat is a universal crop, but little of the surplus honey is 
clover, as in the counties of Greene and most of Albany. 
The question is asked: "What section of country is best 
for keeping bees ?" It is difficult to answer. In clover 
regions the superior quality and enormous crops of honey 
in some seasons will give very desirable results, but when 
an occasional failure occurs, it is disastrous in the extreme. 
In buckwheat sections, there is never a great yield of clo- 
ver, but seldom a failure in buckwheat honey. 

If the first yield fails, the last usually supplies the defi- 
ciency, and all strong colonies will .generally have sufficient 
winter stores. I have now been speaking of large apiaries. 
A section can hardly be found where man can live, where 
a few stocks would not thrive, even if no dependence 
could be placed on the prominent sources just mentioned. 
There will be some honey-yielding flowers in nearly all 
places. 



100 THE API ART. 

DISTANCE THAT A BEE WILL, GO FOR HONEY. 

Another question of interest is concerning the distance 
a bee will travel in search of honey. It is evident that it 
will be farther than for purposes of plunder. I have heard 
of their being found seven miles from home. It was said 
to be ascertained by sprinkling flour on them as they left 
the hive in the morning, and discovering the bees thus 
marked at that distance from home. When we consider the 
chances of finding a bee, even one mile from the hive, this ap- 
pears rather dubious ; and likewise, pollen, the color of flour, 
might deceive a casual observer, or one who had a case to 
sustain. It is difficult to prove that they go three miles. 
I think from present evidence that they do not go farther. 
The queens and drones, situated that distance apart do 
sometimes meet, as is proved by black queens producing 
hybrids, but whether one travels the whole distance, or 
they meet each other halfway, is not certain. I have my 
yards from two and a half to five miles apart. The largest 
apiaries should be separated, at least, four miles. 



CHAPTER V. 

THE APIARY 
LOCATION. 



One important consideration, in the location of an apiary, 
is in regard to convenience for watching in the swarming 
season. If much trouble has to be taken, it is too often 
neglected. Unless the apiary is large, watching need not 
occupy one's whole time, but it may be done in connection 
with some other employment, and it is desirable to have 
the hives located with reference to this. Although the 



THE APIARY. 101 

movable combs may be used, and each stock divided as it 
is filled, and no swarms expected, yet one will occasionally 
issue, making some attention necessary. If possible, the 
hives should stand where the wind will have but little ef- 
fect, especially from the north west. If no hiUs or build- 
ings offer a protection, a close high board fence should be 
put up for the purpose. The saving of bees will pay the 
expense. During the first spring months, the stocks con- 
tain fewer bees than at any other season. It is then that 
a large family is important, to keep the brood warm. One 
bee is of more consequence then than a dozen in mid- 
summer. When the hive stands in a bleak place, the bees 
returning with heavy loads, in a high wind, are frequently 
unable to strike the hive, are blown to the ground, and 
become chilled and die. A chilly south wind is equally 
fatal, but not so frequent. When protected from winds, the 
hives may front as you choose ; east or south is generally 
preferred. A location near ponds, lakes, large streams, 
etc., involves some loss. Hard w r inds fatigue the bees 
when on the wing, often causing them to alight in the wa- 
ter, whence it is impossible to rise again until wafted 
ashore, and then, unless in very warm weather, they are 
so chilled as to be past recovery. I do not mention this 
to discourage any one from keeping them, when so situat- 
ed, because some must keep them thus, or not at all. 
Although we can not miss a few lost from each stock, it is 
nevertheless a loss as far as it goes. 

Whatever location is chosen, it should be decided upon 
as early in the spring as possible, because when the chil- 
ling winds of winter have ceased for a day, and the sun, 
unobstructed, is sending his first warm rays upon the 
frozen earth, the bees that have been inactive for months, 
feel the cheering influence, and come forth to enjoy the 
balmy air. 



102 THE APIARY. 

LOCATION MAKEED. 

As they come from tlieir door, they pause a moment, as 
if to rub their eyes, which have been so long obscured in 
darkness. They rise on the wing, but instead of leaving 
in a direct line, immediately turn their heads towards the 
entrance of their tenement, describing a circle of a few 
inches at first, but larger as they recede, until an area of 
several rods has been viewed and marked. 

; SHOULD NOT BE MOVED. 

After a few excursions, and surrounding objects have 
became familiar, this precaution is not taken, and they 
leave in a direct line for their destination, and return by 
their way -marks without difficulty. Man, with his reason, 
is guided in the same manner. There are a great many 
people who suppose the bee knows its hive by a kind of 
instinct, or is attracted towards it, like the steel to the 
magnet. At least they act as if they thought so, as they 
often move their bees a few feet or rods, after the location 
is thus marked, and what is the consequence ? The stocks 
are materially injured, and sometimes entirely ruined by 
loss of bees. Let us notice the cause. As I have stated, 
the bees have marked the location. They leave the hive 
without any precaution, as surrounding objects are famil- 
iar. They return to their old stand and find no home. 
If there is more than one stock, and their own has been 
removed from four to twenty feet, some of the bees may 
find a hive, but are just as liable to enter the wrong one 
as the right. Probably they would not go over twenty 
feet, and very likely not that, unless the new situation was 
very conspicuous. If a person had but one stock, the loss 
would probably be less,' as every bee finding a hive, 
would be sure to be right, and none would be killed, as is 
generally the case, when a few enter a strange hive. 
Sometimes a stock will allow strange bees to unite with 



THE APIAKT. 103 

them, but it is seldom, unless a large number enters. 
When bees are taken beyond their knowledge of coun- 
try, some two miles or more, the result is somewhat 
different, but not always without loss, especially if many 
hives are set too. closely together. They leave the hive, 
of course, without knowing that the situation has been 
changed ; and perhaps get a few feet from it, before strange 
objects inform them of the fact. When they return, the 
immediate vicinity is strange, and they often enter their 
neighbor's domiciles. Experience has satisfied me that 
stocks should occupy their situation for the summer, as 
early as possible in the spring, at least before they mark 
the location ; or, if they must be moved after that, let it 
be not less than a mile and a half, withplenty of room 
beticeen the stands. 

SPACE BETWEEN STANDS. 

Regarding the distance between hives generally, I 
would say, let it be as great as convenience will allow. 
Want of room sometimes makes it necessary to set them 
closer. Where such necessity exists, if the hives were 
dissimilar in color, some dark, others light, alternately, it 
would greatly assist the bees in recognizing their own 
hive. But it should be borne in mind, that whenever 
economy of space dictates less than two feet, there are of- 
ten bees enough lost by entering the wrong hives, to pay 
the rent of a small addition to a bee-yard. I have several 
other reasons for recommending plenty of room between 
hives, which will be mentioned hereafter. 

SMALL MATTERS. 

The reader who is accustomed to do things on a large 
scale, will consider so much attention to such a small matter, 
rather unnecessary, but attention to little things insures 
success. A grain of wheat is insignificant in itself — it is 



104 THE APIARY. 

only in the aggregate that its importance is manifest. The 
bee is small, the load of honey brought home by it, is still 
less, and the quantity secreted in the nectary of each flower, 
still more minute. The patient bee obtains but a tiny drop 
from each, but by perseverance, procures a load and de- 
posits it in the hive. It is only in the accumulation of such 
that we find an object worthy of our notice. "We are thus 
taught to look to little things, and the manner in which 
they are multiplied and preserved. It is much better to 
save our bees, than to waste them, and wait for others to 
be raised. " A penny saved is two pence earned." If a 
stock is lost by a little neglect, a corresponding effort is 
only necessary to save it. This trifling attention is some- 
times neglected through indolence. But I hope for better 
things generally. I am willing to believe that it is through 
ignorance of the kind of care necessary, and how, when, 
and where to bestow it. It seems to be my duty to state 
the cause of such losses ; therefore make it a rule to have 
stands, bee-houses, etc., ready in spring before the bees 
leave the hives, and let them remain stationary during the 
summer. 

If we keep bees for ornament, it would be well to build 
bee-houses, paint the hives, etc.; but as I suspect that the 
majority of readers will be chiefly interested in the profits, 
I assure them that the bees will not pay a cent towards 
extra expenses ; they will not do any more labor in a paint- 
ed house, than if it were thatched with straw. When 
profit is the only object, economy would dictate that labor 
be bestowed only where there is a reasonable prospect of 
remuneration. 

CHEAP STAND. 

So many kinds of bee-houses and stands have been re- 
commended, all so different from what I prefer, that I 
perhaps ought to feel some hesitancy in offering one so 



THE APIARY. 105 

cheap and simple ; but as profit is my object, I shall offer 
no apology. I have thirty years experience to prove its 
efficacy, and have no fears in recommending it. I make 
stands in this way. For a box hive, a board about fifteen 
inches wide is cut off two feet long ; a piece of durable 
wood two by three inches, is nailed on each end. This 
raises the board just three inches from the earth, and will 
project in front of the hive some ten inches, making it ad- 
mirably convenient for the bees to alight before entering 
the hive, when the grass and weeds are kept down, which 
is but little trouble. A separate stand for each hive is 
better than to have several on a bench together, as there 
can then be no communication by the bees running to and 
fro. Also, we are apt to give more room between them ; 
and a board or plank will make more stands when cut in 
pieces, than if left whole. 

I used what is termed a canal bottom board, until I 
found that it did not pay expenses, hence I rejected it, 
and succeed just as well. It is generally recommended to 
prevent robbing, and keep out the moth. It may prevent 
one hive in fifty from being robbed, but as for keeping out 
the moth, it is about as good a contrivance in its favor, as 
need be. I am aware that I differ from most apiarians, in 
placing the stand so near the earth ; less than two or three 
feet between the bees and the earth, it is said, will not an- 
swer any way. I shall not urge the adoption of any rule 
that I have not tested by my own practice. The objec- 
tion raised, is the dampness arising from the earth, but I 
am unable to discover the least bad effect from this cause. 

DISADVANTAGE OF STANDING TOO HIGH. 

Let us compare advantages and disadvantages a little 
farther. When the bees approach a hive suspended, or 
standing on a high bench, two or three feet from the earth, 
towards evening or on a chilly afternoon — and we have 

5* 



106 THE API ART. 

many such, in spring — even if there is not much wind, they 
are very apt to miss the hive and fall to the ground, so 
benumbed with cold, as to be unable to rise again, and by 
the next morning are lifeless. On the other hand, if the 
hive is near the earth, with a board as described, there is 
no possibility of their alighting under it, and if they should 
fail to reach it, and fall to the -ground, they can always 
creep long after they are too cold to fly, and are thus 
often able to enter the hive, when they can not use their 
wings. In this way, enough may be saved in one spring, 
from a few hives, to make a good swarm. Belonging to 
different hives, the loss is not perceived, yet as much profit 
might be realized from them, as if they formed an indi- 
vidual swarm. To such as will have them away from the 
earth, I would say, do adopt some plan to save this por- 
tion of your best and most willing servants. Have an 
alighting board project at least one foot in front of the 
hive, or a board long enough to reach from the bottom of 
the hive to the ground, upon which they may crawl up to 
the hive. Do you want an inducement ? Examine care- 
fully the earth about your hives, towards sunset, some 
fair but windy day in April, when it is chilly towards 
night, and you will be astonished at the number that per- 
ish. Most of them will be loaded with pollen, proving 
them martyrs to their own industry and your negligence. 
When I see a bench three feet high, and no wider than 
the bottom of the hive, and no entrance for the bees, 
except at the bottom, and as many hives crowded on it as 
it will hold, I no longer wonder that "bee-keeping is all 
in luck ;" the wonder is how they keep them at all. Yet 
it proves that, with proper management, bee-keeping is 
not so precarious, after all. 



THE APIARY. 



10T 



BEST COVER. 

I have taken some pains to ascertain the best protection 
for hives, from the weather, and have concluded that the 
cheapest covering is as good as any ; any thing that will 
keep the sun and rain from the top, is sufficient. Covers 
for each hive, like the bottom board, should be separate, 
and some larger than the top. 

BEE-HOUSE UNPROFITABLE. 

I have used bee-houses, but they will not pay, and I 
have discarded them. They are objectionable on account 
of preventing a free circulation of air ; also, it is difficult 
to construct them so that the sun may strike the hives 
both in the morning and afternoon, which is quite essen- 
tial. If they front the south, the middle of the day is the 
only time when the sun can reach ail the hives at once ; 
this is just when they need it least, and in hot weather 
the combs are sometimes injured by melting. But when 
the hives stand far enough apart, on separate stands, it is 
very easy to arrange them to stand in the sun, morning 
and afternoon, and be shaded four or five hours in the 
middle of the day. 

We are often quite prodigal in building a splendid bee- 
house, but we think of economy when we come to put our 
hives in, and are quite sure to pack them too closely. 

SOME WILL HAVE THEM. 

Notwithstanding the objections here urged against bee- 
houses, there will be a few, who, if they keep bees at all, 
must have them in a house. We will see how far they 
can be accommodated without seriously diminishing their 
profits. A bee-house, without any pretension to ornament, 
generally combines the desired consideration with econo- 
my. It is usually straight, and contains but one row of 
hives. A second and even a third is sometimes added. 



108 



THE APIARY. 



but when the inconvenience of access to the tipper row is 
considered, together with the disadvantage to the bees, it 
will confine most economists to the single row. The 
cheapest form is made by setting posts firmly into the 
ground, six or eight feet apart, three or four feet from 
front to rear, and five or six feet high. Cut those on the 
back enough shorter to give a good pitch to the roof, 
which may be of boards or shingles. Ten or twelve inches 
from the ground — not more than that — nail or cut in a 
shoulder, to support a framework of joists, upon which 






Fig. 14. — bee house. 

the stands are to be placed. Lay boards the width of the 
hive or a little more, cross-wise the frame work, and set 
the hive on the back end. 

I consider separate stands, with spaces between, a better 
arrangement than the plank running lengthwise, as the 



THE APIARY. 109 

bees can not run from one hive to the other to gossip. 
The distance between the hives can be easily regulated ; it 
should be from one to four feet, according to circumstances. 

HTVES SHOULD BE OP DIFFERENT COLOKS. 

The hives should be of different, but not glaring colors. 
As a bee is guided to the entrance of its home by outside 
appearances, it is well to altei'nafce the colors when arrang- 
ing the hives. After the first few days in spring, the 
workers have but little difficulty. The first day they issue, 
they seem to settle indiscriminately on the hives to rest, 
and are often worried and killed. The young bees as they 
hatch and come out, during the season, either know their 
own home better, or if they make any such mistakes, are 
noticed less in the hurry of labor. But the young queen 
often enters the wrong hive on her return from her excur- 
sion, and this uniformly involves the loss of her colony. 
This is the chief objection to the bee-house. 

REPLACING QUEENS. 

By using the movable comb hive, and rearing queens ar- 
tificially, (as the Italian queens are usually raised,) and 
furnishing laying queens, — thus obviating the necessity of 
the young queens leaving the hive — this difficulty is avoid- 
ed. If you think proper, you may allow the bees to swarm, 
and at the end of a week, look over the combs of the old 
hive, cut out all queen cells, and introduce a laying queen. 
The after swarms are thus prevented, and the colony is matur- 
ing brood nearly two weeks sooner than if they had reared 
a queen, which is equivalent to a small swarm. Likewise, 
they will probably be in condition to store surplus, or to 
part with another good swarm, when they might not have 
done either, if let alone. This will do much towards bal- 
ancing the disadvantage of a bee-house. Should you 
choose to divide — making artificial swarms — the hives 



110 



THE APIARY. 



should be set far enough apart, atjirst, to allow room for 
other hives between them. Whenever a colony is suf- 
ficiently strong to divide, one half the combs may be put 
into the new hive, as in making artificial swarms. In a 
week, cut out cells, and introduce the laying queen. It 
will be important to keep a few queens on hand, in case 
any should unexpectedly swarm ; or rather you should 
expect some to do so, a little before you are ready to di- 
vide. The advantages of having laying queens always 
ready, amply repays all trouble in rearing. I would sug- 
gest that the movable comb hives only, are used for this 
kind of bee-house, as it is evident that the box hive can 







kfW' 



Fig. 15.— BEE HOUSE. 



not be so easily managed. When such a hive swarms, we 
often can not remove all the queen cells ; the bees would 
be obliged to raise their own queens, and would be likely 
to swarm several times. Also, the queen left in the old 
hive, and those with the after swarms, Avould be likely to 
be lost. 



THE APIARY 

SEVERAL BEE-HOUSES. 



Ill 



If one uses nothing but the box hive, and must have bee- 
houses, it would be better to make several small ones, 




Fig. 16. — BEE HOUSE. 

holding but three hives, fronting in three different direc- 
tions, as in fig. 15. Let it be closely boarded on the north 



112 THE APIARY. 

side, or so as to break off the prevailing wind, with a roof 
over the whole. 

It will be seen that the three hives set very compactly, 
yet the entrances are some distance apart, and so dissimi- 
lar that the young queens would seldom make a mistake 
in entering. In a place where there is little or no wind, a 
hive may be added on the fourth side. Such bee-houses, 
tastefully built, would be quite ornamental. A hexagonal 
shape might be a little more graceful, yet it would increase 
the liability of losing the queens. For a more elaborate 
style, an octagon would be suitable, to which a second 
story might be added, giving room for sixteen hives, as 
seen in fig. 16, on the preceding page. 

In grounds where the bees would annoy the family, or 
visitors, they may be surrounded by a hedge of shrubbery 
or vines. Enclose a plot of the desired area, of any shape 
the fancy may dictate. Should a circle be chosen, I can 
easily imagine that a small, slender tree in the centre, 
would greatly assist the bees in finding the hives. The 
hedge may be evergreens, vines, or any small shrub of 
suitable growth. Grape vines are very appropriate, being 
of quick growth, and combining ornament with profit. 
Openings should be left at proper distances for the hives, 
which should be set in such a manner that the front is on 
the inside, and the body of the hive on the outside of the 
hedge. The hedge should be dense, but as narrow as 
possible. One arrangement is shown in fig. 17. 

Operations with the hives qan be performed on the out- 
side, thus avoiding the attacks of the bees at work, which 
are more liable to be troublesome than those which leave 
the hive when it is opened. This hedge can be trained in 
an arch over the top of the hives, but should not be 
allowed to attain any great height, compelling the bees to 
rise over it. The fronts of the hives should be of different 
colors, as before mentioned, but the color of the other 



ROBBING. 



H3 



parts may "be uniform, if desired. Proper openings should 
be left for the operator to pass within, when necessary. 




Fig. 17. — HIVES ARRANGED IN A HEDGE. 

Those who consider the appearance of the hive unsightly, 
may set an outer hedge, a few feet from the first, which 
will effectually screen them from observation. 



CHAPTER VI. 

ROBBING. 
NOT UNDERSTOOD. 

Robbing is often a source of loss to the careless apiarian. 
It is frequent in spring, and at any time in warm weather, 
when there is a scarcity of honey. It is very annoying, 
and is sometimes a source of contention among neighbors, 



114 EOBBEN-Q. 

when perhaps neither is to blame, farther than for igno- 
rance. The person keeping the most bees, must expect to 
be held accountable for all the losses in the neighborhood, 
whether they occur from mismanagement, or want of 
management, and if he escapes without being charged 
with those lost by hundreds of other causes, he ought to 
be thankful. It is often thought if a person has but one 
stock, and another has ten, that the ten will combine to 
plunder the one. This conclusion is not warranted by 
facts. I can discover no collusion between different 
families of the same apiary. It is true that when one col- 
ony finds another weak and defenceless, possessing treasures, 
they have no conscientious scruples about carrying off the 
last particle, notwithstanding they revel in abundance at 
home ; and it is most frequently the case that the strong- 
est colonies are most given to this despicable habit. The 
hurry and bustle attending the plunder, seldom escapes 
the notice of other hives, and when one hive in the yard 
has been robbed, perhaps two-thirds or all of the others 
have participated in the offense. 

It is common to hear remarks like this, " I had a first 
rate hive of bees," (when, in fact, he had not looked at 
them, particularly, for a month, and knew nothing or 
their real condition) — " and Mr. A's bees began to rob 
them." I tried every thing to stop it ; moved them sev- 
eral times to prevent their finding the hive, but it did no 
good ; the first I knew they were all gone — bees, honey 
and all ! The bees all joined the robbers." Now, the fact 
is, that not one good colony in fifty will ever be robbed, 
if let alone ; that is, if the entrance is properly protected. 
Moving the hive was enough to ruin it ; bees were lost at 
every change, until nothing Avas left but honey to tempt 
the robbers ; whereas, if left on its stand, it might have 
escaped. 

The injury done by robbers is sometimes like that done 



ROBBING. 115 

by worms, and usually following some preceding weakness 
of the colony. Not one strong colony in a hundred will 
be attacked and plundered at the first onset. 

DIFFICULTY IN DECIDING. 

Probably but few bee-keepers are able to decide at once 
when bees are robbing. It requires the closest scrutiny to 
decide. There is nothing about the apiary more difficult 
to determine ; nothing in which one is more likely to be 
deceived. It is generally supposed, when a number are 
fighting outside, that it is conclusive that they are also 
robbing, which is seldom the case. On the contrary, a 
show of resistance indicates a strong colony, and that they 
are disposed to defend their treasures. A very weak 
colony of Italians will often make a spirited resistance. I 
have no fears for a stock that has courage to repel an 
attack. The greatest dano-er is with those weak colonies 
incapable of opposition. In seasons of scarcity, all good 
stocks maintain sentinels about the entrance, whose duty 
it appears to be to examine every bee that attempts to 
enter. If it is a member of the community, it is allowed 
to pass ; if not, it is arrested on the spot. It would seem 
that a password was requisite for admittance, for no soon- 
er does a stranger endeavor to enter, than it is known. 
The absence of pi'oper credentials is evidence enough to 
convict it. Each bee is a qualified jurist, judge, and exe- 
cutioner. There is no delay, no waiting for witnesses for 
the defence. The more a bee attempts to escape, unless it 
is by chance successful, the more certain is the execution 
of the sentence. How strange bees are known to be such, 
is yet undetermined, probably by the scent. 

WEAK COLONIES IN DANGER. 

It is the duty of every bee-keeper who expects to suc- 
ceed, to know which his weak stocks are. An exaniina- 



116 ROBBING. 

tion cart Ibe made on some cool morning, by turning the 
hive bottom up, and allowing the sun to shine among the 
combs. The number of inhabitants is thus easily seen. 
When weak, close the entrance till there ks just room for 
one bee to pass at once. 

WHEN TO LOOK OUT FOR ROBBERS. 

A little after noon, on the first pleasant day, at any time 
before honey is obtained plentifully, look out for robbers. 
To get to robbing, bees must be first tempted, and render- 
ed furious. A dish of refuse honey left near them is some- 
times sufficient to set them at work ; also an insufficient 
supply, when fed. After they have once commenced, it 
takes an astonishing quantity to satiate their appetite. 
They seem to be perfectly intoxicated, and reckless of 
danger, venturing into certain destruction. I have known 
a few instances where good colonies were so reduced by 
fighting while robbing, that they in turn fell a prey to 
similar marauders. 

I have for several years kept hundreds of stocks away 
from home, where I could seldom see them. Yet I seldom 
lose a stock by robbing. I simply keep the entrance closed, 
leaving, during spring, a passage for the bees at work. It 
is true, I have lost a few, when the other bees took the 
honey, but they would have been lost in any case. A 
great many apiarians raise their hives an inch from the 
board, early in spring. They seem to disregard the op- 
portunity it gives robbers to enter on every side. It is 
like setting the door of your dwelling open, to tempt the 
thief, and then complaining of the consequences. 

Let it be understood, then, that all good stocks, under 
ordinary circumstances, will take care of themselves. 
Nature has provided means of defence, with instinct to 
direct its use. Non-resistance may do for highly cultivat- 
ed intellect in man, but not here. There is a prevalent 



ROBBING. 117 

opinion that robbers often go to a neighboring hive, kill 
off the bees first, and then take possession of the spoils. I 
have never yet discovered one fact to corroborate this, 
although I have watched very closely. Whenever bees 
have lost all their stores, at a period when nothing was to. 
be obtained from flowers, it is evident that they must 
soon starve, and disappear in a few clays. This would 
naturally give rise to the supposition that they had been 
killed by the robbers. 

FIRST INDICATION. 

I will now describe the appearance of a weak hive that 
is being robbed, and show, that without timely interfer- 
ence, the result will be a total loss to the colony. Each 
robber, when leaving the hive, instead of flying in a direct 
line to its home, will turn its head towards the hive to 
mark the spot, that it may return for another load, in the 
same manner that they do when leaving their own hive for 
the first time in the spring. The first time the young- 
bees leave home, they mark their location by the same 
process. A few of these begin to hatch very early, in all 
good stocks, often before the weather is warm enough for 
any to leave the hive. These young bees will fly out very 
thickly about the middle of each fair day, or a little later, 
called " playing," by some writers. This unusual activity 
strongly resembles the bustle of robbers, and it is difficult 
to detect the difference. Their motions are alike, but 
there is a little difference in color, the young bees being a 
shade fighter ; and the abdomen of the robbers, when 
filled with honey, is a little larger. But while you are 
learning these nice distinctions, your bees may be ruined. 
I will therefore give additional means of ascertaining. 
Bees, when they have been stealing a sack of honey from 
a neighboring hive, will generally run several inches from 
the entrance before flying ; kill some of these ; if filled 



118 BOBBING. 

with honey, they are robbers ; for it is very suspicious to 
be filled with honey when leaving the hive ; or sprinkle 
some flour on them as they come out, and let some one 
watch by the other hives to see if they enter. The follow- 
ing is less trouble, but it will be longer before they are 
checked, if robbing. Visit them again in the course of half 
an hour or more, after the young bees have returned, and if 
the bustle continues or increases, it is time to interfere. 
When the entrance has been contracted, as directed, close 
it entirely, till near sunset. If it has been left open, it 
should now be closed, giving room for only one bee at a 
time. This will allow all that belong to the hive to get in, 
and others to get out, and will materially retard the pro- 
gress of the robbers. Unless it should be cool, they will 
continue their operations till evening. Very often some 
are unable to get home in the dark, and are lost. This, 
by the way, is another good test of robbing. Visit the 
hives every warm evening. They commence depredations 
on the warmest days, seldom at any other time. If any 
are at work when honest laborers should be at home, they 
should be regarded with suspicion. 

• REMEDIES. 

A great many remedies for this evil have been recom- 
mended, which are as bad as the evil itself, and often the 
cause of it. The most fatal is to move the hive a few rods ; 
another, to entirely close it, which may smother the bees ; 
or to break out some comb in the hives of the robbers, 
and set the honey to running, thereby giving them work 
at home. I would recommend removing the weak hive, 
on the morning after the attack, to the cellar, or some dark, 
cool place, until two or three warm days have passed, and 
the search has been abandoned. The robbers will proba- 
bly attack the stock on the next stand. Contract the en- 
trance of this according: to the number of bees that are to 



ROBBING. 119 

pass. If strong, no danger need be apprehended ; they 
may fight and even kill some ; perhaps a little chastise- 
ment is necessary to bring them to a sense of their duty. 
When a hive has been removed, if the one on the next 
stand is weak, it is better to take that in also, to be 
returned as soon as the robbers will allow it. If a second 
attack is made, put them in again, or if practicable, remove 
them a mile or two, out of their knowledge of country ; 
they would then lose no time from labor. Where but few 
hives are kept, and not more than one or two are engaged, 
sprinkle a little flour on the bees as they leave, to ascer- 
tain which hive they are from ; then reverse their position, 
putting the robbed in the place of the robbing, and the 
reverse. The weak hive will generally become the strong- 
est, and put a stop to their operations. But this method 
is impracticable in a large apiary, because several stocks 
are usually engaged very soon after one begins, and a 
dozen may be robbing one. Another method is, when 
you are sure a stock is being robbed, to close the hive at 
a time when there as many plunderers inside as possible, 
(wire-cloth, or something that will admit air, and confine 
the bees, is necessary,) and carry in as before directed, for 
two or three days, when they may be set out again. The 
strange bees thus enclosed will join the weak family, and 
will be as eager to defend what is now their treasure, as 
they were before to carry it off. This principle of forget- 
ting home, and uniting with others, after a lapse of a few 
days, can be Avisely acted upon in this case. It succeeds 
about four times in five, when a proper number is enclos- 
ed. Weak families are very easily strengthened in this 
way, and the bees, being taken from a number of hives, 
are scarcely missed elsewhere. The difficulty is, to secure 
about as many as belong to the weak hive ; if too few are 
enclosed, they are apt to be destroyed. As I remarked 
in the beginning of the chapter, bees will plunder and fight 



120 ROBBING. 

at any time through the summer when honey can not be 
collected ; hut spring is the only time in which such des- 
perate and persevering efforts are made to obtain it. At 
no other time can the apiarian be excused for having his 
hives plundered, or allowing them to be liable to such 
invasions. Families reduced in winter and spring, will, if ' 
protected through this season, generally make good stocks. 
Prevention is better than cure ; evil propensities should be 
checked in the bud. It would probably be the least 
trouble, when practicable, to remove the weak hive to some 
neighbor, a mile or two away, where there are no strong 
ones to molest it ; and return it after the honey season 
arrives. 

The apiarian who allows his hives to be plundered in the 
fall, is not fit to have charge of them ; the efforts of the 
robbers are seldom as vigorous as in spring, (unless there 
is a general scarcity,) the weak hives are usually better 
supplied with bees, and consequently a less number is 
exposed. When there are some very weak families, they 
should be disposed of as soon as the flowers fail. Partic- 
ulars given in Fall Management. 

EQUALIZATION. 

I have sometimes equalized the strength of my hives, 
early in spring, by the following method. Bees, when 
wintered together in a room, will seldom quarrel when 
first put out. When one hive has an over supply of bees, 
and another a very few, the next day after being set out, 
I change the weak one to the stand of the strong one, (as 
before mentioned), and all bees that have marked the loca- 
tion, will return to that place. This often fails for the 
reason that too many bees leave the strong hive, making 
that the weak one, and nothing is gained. If it could be 
done when they had been out of winter quarters just long 
enough for the proper number to have marked the loca- 



BOBBING. 121 

tion, success would be quite certain. But before an 
exchange of this kind is made, it would be well, if possible, 
to ascertain the cause of a stock being weak ; if it arises 
from the loss of a queen, we only make the matter worse 
by this operation. 

BATTLES. 

I will describe some of their battles, or what are called 
battles, as it is seldom that a regular battle occurs, in 
which both parties make a deadly effort to destroy the 
other. Two queens will meet thus, and occasionally two 
workers. Bees fight to repel invaders, but I have little faith 
that they make war on a neighboring colony for the mere 
sake of fighting. When bees first fly out in spring, some 
will settle on a neighboring hive, if they are close together, 
but as soon as one alights, it is surrounded, the whole 
front of the hive being sometimes covered in this way. A 
half dozen will attack one stranger, two or three biting its 
legs, one pulling it by the wing, another perched on its 
back making a feint of stinging, while another is ready to 
take what honey it has, when it has been worried suffi- 
ciently to give it up. It is sometimes let go, after it has 
yielded all its honey, but is often dispatched by a sting, 
which is almost instantly fatal. A bee is killed by a sting- 
sooner than by any other means, except crushing. When 
strange bees enter a hive, which sometimes part of a re- 
turning swarm will do, I have known a few thousands to 
be killed in five minutes. The joints are the only vulnera- 
ble parts of a bee. During the fight, if the object be to 
repel pillagers, a few bees may be seen buzzing around 
in search of an unguarded place to enter the hive. If such 
is found, it alights and enters in a moment. At other 
times, it meets a sentinel on duty, and is on the wing 
again, in an instant. It is occasionally more unfortunate, 
and is seized by the guard, when it must either break 
6 



122 FEEDING. 

away, or suffer the penalty of insect justice, which is gen- 
erally ''■ to the utmost extent of the law." 



CHAPTER VII. 

FEEDING. 
FEEDING A LAST RESORT. 

Feeding bees is sometimes quite necessary. But in 
ordinary seasons and circumstances it is very doubtful 
policy for the apiarian to attempt to winter many stocks 
So poorly supplied with honey, that they will need feeding 
before spring. Nothing is more common than for inex- 
perienced persons to undertake to winter every hive con- 
taining bees, and the more ignorant they are of the 
business, the more poor hives they will endeavor to keep. 
There are circumstances under which it may be proper to 
feed colonies in the fall. In the chapter on Fall Manage- 
ment, I will give directions for disposing of such as should 
not be fed. It pays better to feed in spring than at any 
other season, and there are more that need it then. Some 
families having had light stores at the beginning of winter 
have consumed about all. Some stocks, when brought 
from their winter quarters, mix badly with others, and 
occasionally most of the bees leave their own hive, and 
join other stocks. Those left may not be able to defend 
their stores, and will be robbed. 

I have known a few instances where there was every 
requisite for a good stock, and yet they were so imbecile 
that they would not defend themselves, and allowed every 
particle to be taken from them. Although there is a 
strong temptation to let such starve, as a punishment for 
want of energy, it usually pays to feed them. Bees may 



FEEDING. 123 

also be fed at this season to promote early swarming and 
storing of surplus honey. 



In feeding, the utmost care is requisite, and but few 
know how to manage it properly. Honey fed to bees, is 
almost certain to excite quarreling. Strong colonies 
sometimes scent the honey given to weak ones, and carry 
it off as fast as supplied. It is possible that feeding a 
stock of bees in spring, may cause them to starve ; where- 
as, if let alone, they would survive. Notwithstanding this 
seems contradictory, it may be made to appear reasonable. 
Whenever the supply of honey is deficient, probably not 
more than one egg in twenty will be matured, their means 
not allowing the brood to be fed. In veiy small colonies 
the queen usually confines herself to a small area of comb, 
often depositing several eggs in one cell, but if the supply 
of honey is increased, she will extend her labors over a 
greater space. Suppose we give such a stock two or three 
pounds of honey, encouraging them to feed a large brood, 
and the supply fails before they are half grown. "What 
are they to do ? Destroy the brood and lose all they 
have fed, or draw on their old stores, and trust to chance 
for themselves ? The latter alternative will probably be 
adopted, and then without timely intervention of favorable 
weather, the bees will starve. The same effect is some- 
times produced by the changes of the weather. A week 
or two may be very fine and bring out the flowers in 
abundance, and a sudden change, perhaps frost, may cut 
them all off. This makes it necessary to exercise consid- 
erable vigilance, as these spells of cold weather make it 
unsafe to neglect them, till white clover appears, (10th or 
15th of June in this section) but if the spring is favorable, 
there is but little danger, unless they are robbed as fed. 
If the necessary care be taken about moth-worms, the 



124 FEEDING. 

light hives can be distinguished. This is another advan- 
tage of the simple hive ; by merely raising one edge to 
destroy worms, we learn something about the quantity of 
honey on hand. To be very exact, the hive should be 
weighed when ready for the bees, and the weight marked 
on it ; by weighing at any time after, we can ascertain 
pretty nearly the amount of honey. Some allowance must 
be made for the age of the combs, quantity of brood, etc. 
It is wrong to begin to feed without being prepared to 
continue, as the supply must be kept up until honey is 
abundant. 

DESTITUTE COLONIES SOMETIMES DESERT. 

When one has the means to continue feeding, and time 
requisite to make it secure, perhaps it would not be ad- 
visable to wait till the last extremity before feeding, as a 
small family will sometimes entirely desert the hive, when 
destitute, especially if they have but little brood. In these 
cases, they issue precisely as a swarm ; after flying a long 
time, they either return or unite with some other stock, 
but seldom cluster. If they return, they need attention 
immediately, and we may be certain there is something 
wrong, let the desertion take place when it may. In 
spring, the cause may be destitution, or mouldy combs ; 
at other times, the presence of worms, diseased brood, etc. 
But whatever the cause, ascertain it, and apply the remedy. 

WHEN THEY MUST BE FED. 

If it is wished to wait as long as possible before feeding, 
a test will be necessary to decide how long it will do to 
delay it. Strict attention must be given ; they will need 
examination every morning. If a light tap on the hive is 
answered by a lively buzzing, they are not suffering yet ; 
but if no answer is made to this inquiry, it indicates weak- 
ness. Extreme destitution takes away all disposition to 



FEEDING. 125 

repel an attack. Sometimes a part of the bees will be too 
weak to remain among the combs, and will be seen lying 
on the bottom, while a few will be outside. If the weather 
is cool, they will be apparently lifeless ; yet they can be 
revived, and now must be fed. Those among the combs 
may be able to move, though feebly. When this is the 
condition of things, invert the hive, gather up all the scat- 
tered bees, and put them in. Get some honey, if candied, 
heat it till it dissolves ; comb honey is not so good unless 
broken up ; pour a quantity among the combs, directly on 
the bees ; cover the bottom of the hive with a cloth, se- 
curing it firmly, and bring to the fire to warm. If no 
honey is at hand, sugar may be used instead ; add a little 
water, boil until near the consistency of honey, and skim 
it ; when cool enough, use the same as honey. In two or 
three hours they will be revived, and may be returned to 
the stand, providing the honey given is all taken up ; on 
no account let any run out around the bottom. The 
necessity of a daily visit to the hives is apparent from the 
fact that, if left for only a day or two in the situation just 
described, it will be too late to revive them. 

At night, if you have a box cover, such as recommended, 
you may open the holes in the top of the hive, fill a dish 
with honey or syrup, and set it on the top ; put in some 
shavings, cut straw, or a float made of very light wood, 
very thin, and full of holes, or narrow channels made with 
a saw, to keep the bees from drowning. When you begin 
to feed, scatter a few drops on the top of the hive, down 
into it, and on the side of the dish to teach them the way. 
When the weather is warm enough for them to take it 
during the night, it is best to feed at evening — from four 
to eight ounces daily is sufficient. If the family is very 
small, what honey is left in the morning, may be taken by 
robbers. It is then best to take it out, or carry the hive 
into a dark room, sufficiently warm, and feed them enough 



126 FEEDING. 

to last several clays, and then return them to the stand — 
keeping a good look out that they are not plundered, and 
again starving, until the flowers produce sufficient honey. 

MANNER OF FEEDING. 

The following is a more systematic mode of feeding. 
Get a tinman to make a dish, ten or twelve inches square, 
with vertical sides two inches high. For a box hive cut a 
beard two feet long, and fifteen inches wide ; two or three 
inches from one end, cut out a place exactly the size of 
the dish, so that it will set in just even with the upper 
side of the board. Make a good fit, that no bees may get 
in around it. Nail cleats on the under side one or two 
inches thick. To keep the bees from drowning when the 
dish is filled with honey, and to prevent them from making 




Fig. 18. — FEEDER. 

combs down into it, set in some thin strips edgewise, half 
an inch apart, and reaching nearly to the bottom. To 
hold these strips in place, put a piece of half inch board, 
two inches wide, across each end. With a thick or coarse 
saw, cut channels half an inch apart in one side of these 
pieces, one-fourth inch deep, and crowd the thin strips in- 
to them even with the top of the dish. 

The strips may be split out of shingles, or sawed for the 
purpose. Set the hive over this, leaving one end of the 
dish two inches outside the back of the hive, for conve- 



FEEDING. 127 

nience in filling. Lay over this a strip of board to keep 
out the bees. If the weather is warm when feeding, the 
bees will soon get cross, unless smoke is instantly blown 
among them on raising the cover. Bess will take honey 
more readily when directly under them, than when over- 
head, or on the side. Yet for most purposes the latter 
places will answer. To feed at the back side, make a 
shelf for the dish described, and a frame an inch deep, just 
the size of the dish. Make two or three holes in one side, 
and corresponding ones in the side of the hive. Lay this 
frame on the dish, with the holes next the hive, and put 
over it a pane of glass. The bees can enter from the hive, 
and no outsiders can interfere. 

Whatever plan of feeding is adopted, all openings large 
enough to admit a bee, except the regular entrance, should 
be closed. The board and feeder can be taken away, 
when feeding is over, and put aside until needed again. If 
left under the hive through the summer, it affords rather 
too convenient a place for the worms to spin their cocoons. 

OBJECT IN FEEDING. 

If the object in feeding is to induce early swarming, of 
course the best stocks are to be chosen for this purpose ; 
but care is necessary not to give them too much, and thus 
have the combs filled with honey, that should be occupied 
with brood, thereby defeating your object. One j>ound 
per day is enough, perhaps too much. The quanti- 
ty obtained from flowers is a partial guide; when plenty, 
feed less, when scarce, more. Begin as soon as they will 
take it up in spring, and continue in accordance with the 
weather, until white clover blossoms, or swarms issue. 
Another object in feeding bees at this period, is to have 
the store combs all filled with inferior honey, so that when 
clover appears, there is no room for it, except in the boxes, 
which being now put on, are rapidly filled. Inferior 



128 FEEDING. 

honey may be used for this purpose ; Southern or West 
India is good, and of moderate cost. Inferior sugar, mixed 
with honey, will do, but they do not relish it so well when 
fed alone. I have usually taken about equal quantities of 
each, adding a pint of water to ten pounds of the mixture, 
boiling and skimming it. The idea has been advanced 
that candied honey is injurious to bees — even fatal. I 
never could discover any unfavorable result, further than 
that it was a perfect waste, when fed in this state. When 
boiled, and a little water added, it appears to be as good 
as anything. Nearly every stock will have more or less 
of it on hand at this season, but as warm weather ap- 
proaches, and the bees increase, it seems to become liqui- 
fied from heat alone. The bees, when compelled to use 
honey thus candied, waste a large portion ; a part is liquid 
and the rest is grained like sugar, which may be seen on 
the bottom board as the bees throw it out. 

Another and less commendable object in feeding bees, is 
to give inferior honey, mixed with sugar, and flavored to 
the taste, to the bees, and let them store it in boxes for 
market. I have no faith that honey undergoes any chem- 
ical change in the stomach of the bees, while they are 
going from the feeding dish to deposit it in the cell, and 
can not recommend this as an honest course. Neither do 
I think it would be very profitable to feed for this purpose, 
under any circumstances. I have sometimes had boxes 
nearly full, and almost ready for market, at the end of the 
honey season ; when it would seem that feeding "a little 
would complete them, provided the hive-were full. I have 
fed them a few pounds of good honey at such times, but 
I always found that of several pounds fed, but very little 
would be stored in the boxes. 



DESTRUCTION OF THE MOTH-WORM. 129 

PROMISCUOUS FEEDING UNPROFITABLE. 

I have seen it recommended and practiced by some 
apiarians, to feed bees all at once, in the open air, in a 
large trough ; but whoever realizes much profit from this 
method, will be peculiarly fortunate, as every stock in the 
neighborhood will soon scent it, and carry off a good share. 
Also, nearly every stock at home will be in contention, and 
great numbers be destroyed. The moment the supply is 
exhausted, their attention is directed to other stocks. 
Another objection to this wholesale feeding is, that some 
stocks do not need it at all, while others do, and the 
former, being stronger, are quite likely to get the most. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

DESTKUCTTON OF THE MOTH-WORM. 

I shall not give a full history of the moth in this place, 
as spring is not the time in which it is most destructive. 
But as this is a duty belonging to spring, a partial history 
seems necessary. 

As soon as the bees begin their labors the worms are 
generally ready to commence theirs. 

FOUND IN THE BEST STOCKS. 

You will probably find some in your best stocks, but it 
need not alarm you. Even weak colonies are seldom des- 
troyed at this season, although all may be more or less 
injured. They work mostly among the sealed brood. 
The heads of the young bees, after assuming the chrysalis 
form, are about one-twelfth of an inch from the sealing of 
the cells, leaving a suitable space between their heads and 
the sealing, for the perambulations of the worms. 
6* 



130 



DESTRUCTION OF THE MOTH-WOEM. 



FEAR OF THE BEES. 



As a protection against the bees, they spin silken galler- 
ies, completely surrounding them, and never exposing 
any part but the head, which is coated with mail. They 
are thus safe until they have attained their growth, when 




Fig. 19. — WORM GALLERY IN THE COMB. 

it is necessary to leave their feeding grounds to find a 
place for their cocoons. Without this silken covering, they 
are easily annoyed by the legal occupants of the hive, and 
will creep into every available corner to avoid their at- 
tacks. During the cool nights of spring, they become 
chilled, get on the bottom board, and being unable to 
move further, are easily found and killed. If you have 

the movable comb hive, you can 
take out the frames, and trace 
this silken gallery from begin- 
ning to end. Touch it in differ- 
ent places with a sharp pointed 
knife, till you see by a stir inside where the worm is, then 
with the point of the knife, and thumb, it can be picked" 
out at once. To destroy such as have left the combs, get 
a piece of narrow hoop-iron, (steel would be better) three- 




Fiff. 20. — MOTH-WORM. 



DESTETJCTIOjST OP THE MOTH-WOEM. 131 

fourths of an inch wide, and five inches long; taper one 
side three inches from the end, to a point, then grind each 
edge sharp, make three or four holes through the wide 



Fig. 21. — TOOL FOR KILLING WORMS. 

end, to admit small nails through it in the handle, which 
should be about two feet long, and half an inch square. 
Armed with this you can proceed. 

HOW DESTROYED. 

Raise the hive on one edge, and with the point of your 
sword you may pick a worm out of the closest corner, and 
easily scrape all from under the hive. Be sure and dis- 
patch every one / not that the " little victim " will per- 
sonally do much more mischief, but it is to be apprehended 
through its descendants. Very likely half of all you find 
will have finished their course of destruction among the 
combs, and voluntarily left them for a place to spin their 
cocoons. They are worried, if bees are numerous, until 
satisfied that there is no safe place among them to make a 
shroud and remain helpless for two or three weeks. Ac- 
cordingly,' when they get their growth, they leave and 
get on the bottom board. They will be chilled and help- 
less in the morning, but active in the middle of the day. If 
they are merely thrown on the earth, a place will be 
selected there for transformation, if no better is found, and 
a moth perfected ten feet from the hive, is just as capable 
of depositing five hundred eggs there, as if she had never 
left it. 

Several generations are matured in the course of one 
summer ; consequently, one destroyed at this season, may 
prevent the existence of thousands before the summer is 
over. 

The moth-worm is one of the many subjects connected 



132 DESTE17CTI0H OF THE MOTH-WORM. 

with bees, concerning which, there is a great deal of the- 
oretical reasoning and imposition. I wish the reader to 
judge for himself, lay aside whims and prejudices, and look 
at the subject candidly ; and if no testimony comes up to 
confirm any position I assume, I shall not complain if my 
assertions fare no better than some others. Only defer 
judgment until you Jaiow for yourself. 

Bees have always received my special regard and atten- 
tion, and my enthusiasm may blind my judgment. I may 
be prejudiced, but not wilfully wrong. I have found so 
many theories utterly false, when carried into practice, 
that I depend on none, however plausible, without facts 
to support them, 

To return to our subject. It is -supposed by many, 
when these worms are found on the board, that they get 
there by accident, having dropped from the combs above. 
They do not seem to understand that the worm generally 
travels on safe principles, that he attaches a thread to 
whatever he passes over. To be satisfied on this point, I 
have many times carefully detached his foot-hold, when on 
the side of the hive, or other place, where he would fall 
a few inches, and always found him with a thread fast at 
the place he left, to enable him to regain his former posi- 
tion if he chose. Is it not probable, then, that whenever 
he leaves the combs for the bottom board, he can readily 
ascend again ? No doubt he often does, to be driven 
down again by the bees. Now, what I wish to show by 
all this preamble, is simply this ; that all our trouble and 
anxiety to prevent the Avorms from again ascending to the 
combs, by wire hooks, wire pins, screws, nails, turned 
pins, clam shells, blocks of wood, etc., is perfect nonsense, 
when half of them would do the bees no harm if they did 
return, and might as well go there as any where else. 
And, these useless contrivances are very often positively 
injurious to the bees. 



DE54THUCTTO:s~ OE THE MOTH-WORM. 133 

Suppose, if you please, that the worm has no thread 
attached above, and the hive is far enough above to pre- 
vent his reaching it. Of course he can't get up ; but how 
are the bees to do any better ? The worm can reach as 
high as they can. You think the bee can fly up ; so it 
will, sometimes, but will try a dozen times to get up some 
other way, and when it does fly, a smooth board is a very 
bad place from which to start. Did you ever watch by a 
hive thus raised, towards night, in April or May, when it 
'was a little cool, and see the industrious little insects ar- 
riving with a load as heavy as they could possibly carry, 
chilly, and nearly out of breath, scarcely able to reach 
home, and there witness their vain attempts to get among 
their fellows above them ? If you never observed this, I 
wish you would do so, and when you find them giving up 
in despair, and perishing after many fruitless attempts, I 
think if you possess sympathy, benevolence, or even sel- 
fishness, you will be induced to do as I did — discard at 
once wire hooks, and all other contrivances under the hive, 
in the spring, and give the bees, when they do get home 
with a load, what they richly deserve, — protection. 

But if you set the hives close to the bottom board, you 
will say " the worms will get between the bottom of the 
hive and the board." Well, what then ? I expect if you 
intend to succeed, that you will get them out, and destroy 
them. I am as willing to find a worm under the edge of 
the hive, and dispatch it, as to have it creep into some 
place out of sight, and change to a moth. I once trimmed 
off the bottom of my hives to a thin edge, so they could 
not have this place for their cocoons, but I now prefer to 
have them square. No investment brings profitable re- 
turns without proper attention. If you plant a field with 
corn, you do not expect that the whole work is finished 
with the planting. Neither should you expect when you 
set up a stock of bees, that a full yield will be realized 



134 DESTRUCTION OF THE MOTH-WORM. 

without further care. If you are remunerated for keeping 
the -weeds from, your corn, be assured that it is equally 
profitable to weed out your bees. 

Now, do not be deceived, and through indolence be in- 
duced to get hives with descending bottom boards, to 
throw out the worms as they fall, and hope by that means 
to have no further trouble. We will suppose such inclined 
bottom board capable of throwing every worm that 
touches it " heels over head " to the ground ; what have 
we gained ? His neck is not broken, nor any other hone 
of his body! As if nothing extraordinary had happened, 
he quietly gathers himself up and looks about for snug 
quarters ; he cares not a fig for the hive now ; he gorman- 
dized on the combs until satisfied before he left them, and 
is glad to get away from the bees at any price. A place 
large enough for a cocoon is easily found, and when he 
again becomes desirous of visiting the hives, it is not to 
satisfy his own wants, but to accommodate his progeny. 

MOTH PROOF HIVES NOT MADE. 

A hive that is proof against the moth is yet to be con- 
structed. We frequently hear of it, from patent-vend- 
ers, but when tested by practical bee-keepers, the worms 
are generally found in the vicinity of the bees. When 
your hives become so full of bees that they cover the board 
in a cool morning, you will seldom find the worms, except 
under the edge of the hive. You may now raise it, and 
catch the worms by laying under the bees a narrow shingle, 
a stick of elder split in two, lengthwise, with the pith 
scraped out, or any thing else that Avill afford them pro- 
tection from the bees, and where they may spin their 
cocoons. These should be removed every few days, the 
worms destroyed, and the traps put back. Do not neglect 
it till they change to the moth, and there is nothing to 
remove but empty cocoons. 



PUTTING ON AND TAKING OFF BOXES. 135 

? 

BOX FOR WREN. 

If you would take the trouble to put up a cage or two 
for the wren to nest in, he would be a valuable assistant 
in this department of your labor. He would be on the 
lookout when you were away, and many worms, while 
looking up quiet lodgings, would be relieved from all fur 
ther trouble by being deposited in his crop. The cage 
need not be more than four inches square, and should be 
fastened as near as possible to the bees, to a post, tree, 
or side of a building, a few feet from the ground. The 
skull of some animal, (horse or ox) is very convenient for 
them, the cavity for the brains being used for the nest. A 
person once told me the wren would not build in one that 
he had put up. On examination, the stake to support it 
was found driven into the only entrance. I mention this 
to show how little some people understand what they are 
doing. It is sometimes as well to know why a thing is to 
be done, as to know it must be done. If this prolixity is 
unnecessary for one, it may benefit another. You must 
remember that some bee-keepers are not over supplied 
with ingenuity, and must receive very explicit directions. 



CHAPTER IX. 

PUTTING ON AND TAKING OFF BOXES. 
MUST NOT BE PUT ON TOO EARLY. 

Putting on boxes may be considered a duty intermedi- 
ate between spring and summer management. I can not 
recommend putting them on, in ordinary circumstances, as 
eai'ly as the last of April or first of May. Before the hive 
is full of bees, it is generally useless, quite likely a disad- 
vantage, by allowing a portion of animal heat to escape, 



136 PUTTING OK AND TAKING OFF BOXES. 

which is needed in the hive to mature the brood. Also, 
moisture may accumulate in them, causing mold to form 
on the inside. Experience and judgment are necessary to 
know about what time boxes are needed. That they are 
necessary, need not be argued at the present day. Bee- 
keepers have generally abandoned the barbarous practice 
of killing the bees to obtain the honey. Most of them 
have learned that a good swarm will store sufficient honey 
for winter, besides several dollars' worth of surplus. Here 
is where the patent-vender has taken advantage of our ig- 
norance, by pretending that no hive but his, ever obtained 
sitch quantities of honey, and of such pure quality. It is 
probable that a great many bee-keepers are unable to tell 
precisely when the hive is full of honey ; it may be full of 
bees, and not of honey, and they are thus uncertain when 
to put on boxes. The best rule that I can give, is to put 
them on when the bees begin to be crowded out. When 
they are obtaining honey, a day or two before this, would 
be just the right time. It should be remembered that 
they do not always get honey when they begin to cluster 
outside. This guide will do in place of a better one, 
which only close observation and experience can give. 

You may discover whether they are obtaining honey by 
attentively watching the cells next the glass in a glass hive. 
If honey is being deposited there in abundance, it is quite 
evident that the flowers are yielding it, and other stocks 
are obtaining it also. Now is the time, if the hives 
are full, to put on the boxes. Too much room might re- 
tard the swarming a few days, but if the bees are crowded 
outside, it indicates want of room, and the boxes can 
make no difference. It is better to have one box well 
filled, than two part fall, as might be the case if the bees 
were not numerous. The object of putting on boxes be- 
fore swarming, is to employ a portion of the bees, that 
otherwise would remain idly clustering outside for two or 



PUTTING ON AND TAKING OFF BOXES. 137 

three weeks, as they often do while preparing the young 
queens for swarming. But when all the bees can he pro- 
fitably engaged in the body of the hive, more room is un- 
necessary. 

MAKING- HOLES AFTER THE HIVE IS FULL 

If a hive has no holes in the top, it need not prevent 
your getting a few pounds of pure surplus honey. 

If the holes are about two inches apart, and the row is 
at right angles with the combs, each one will be so made 
that a bee arriving at the top of a hive, between any two 
combs, will be able to find a passage into the box without 
long search, which I can imagine he would have when only 
one hole is made, or when they are parallel with the combs. 
If a hive contained eight or ten sheets of comb, and but 
one passage to~ the box, a bee might go up between any 
two, many times, before it found the opening. 

It has been urged that every bee soon learns all the 
"passages about the hive, and consequently will know the 
direct road to the box. This may be true, but when we 
recollect that all within the hive is perfect darkness — that 
the sense of feeling must guide the bee in all its travels, and 
that perhaps a thousand or two young workers are added 
every day, and these have to learn by the same means, we 
would, if we studied our own interest, give them all possi- 
ble facilities for entering the boxes. What way so easy 
for them as to find a passage, when they get to the top, 
between each two combs ? That bees do not know all 
roads about a hive, can be partially proved by opening 
the door of a glass hive. Most of the bees about leaving, 
instead of going to the bottom to make their exit, seem to 
know nothing of the way, and will vainly try to get out 
through the glass. I am so well convinced of this, that 
I take some pains to accommodate them with frequent pas- 
sages. 



138 PUTTING ON AND TAKTNG OFF BOXES. 

To assist them as much as possible, when swarms are 
put in new hives, make the holes and use guide-combs, as 
directed for boxes, which should cross the row of holes at 
right angles. 

To make holes in the top of full hives, mark out the top 
as directed for making hives and boxes. A centre bit, or 
an auger bit, with a lip or barb, is best, as that cuts down 
a little faster than the chip is taken out, leaving it smooth. 
When nearly through, you can cut the remainder of the 
chip loose, with a pointed knife, and take it out. If it is 
between the combs it is well ; if directly over one, better; 
with the knife take out a piece of comb as large as a wal- 
nut. The bees will then have a passage through from 
either side of the comb. 

After you have opened one hole, the bees will very 
likely want to know what is going on over head, and send 
out a force " to make a reconnoissance." To prevent their 
interference, use smoke, and send them down out of your 
way, till the hole is finished ; then lay over it a small 
stone or block of wood, and make the others in the same 
way. When all are done, blow in some smoke as you un- 
cover them, and put on the boxes. This process is not 
half so formidable as it appears from the description. 

BOXES MAY BE TOO EASY OF ACCESS. 

Dr. Bevan and some others have made a cross-bar hive, 
by laying strips of half-inch board, a little over an inch 
wide, and half an inch apart, across the top, instead of 
nailing on in the usual way. It is plain that in such a 
hive, a bee can pass into the box without difficulty, when- 
ever it arrives at the top. I will repeat my objection to 
allowing too much room to passages into the boxes, that 
the disadvantages of the extremes of too little and too 
much room may be perceived. In these cross-bar hives 
the animal heat rises into the box from the hive, making 



PUTTING ON AND TAKTNG OFF BOXES. 139 

it as warm as below. The queen often goes up with the bees, 
and finding it warm and convenient, deposits her eggs, 
hence young brood as well as honey is found there. We 
should then be obliged to leave the box on the hive un- 
til they hatched, which would make the combs dark, etc. 
Boxes set directly on the frames of movable comb hives, 
will be more speedily filled than when the bees go through 
the holes, and were it not for the brood, it would .always 
be preferable to put them on in this way, and thus secure 
the greatest amount of honey. 

A BETTER WAT. 

Very much may be done to prevent the queen from go-_ 
ing into the boxes, by laying on the cross-bars or frames, 
strips of wood one-fourth inch square, upon which the 
boxes may be set. They will then be very close to the 
hive, and the bees will readily find their way into them. 
If a piece of comb is stuck fast to the bottom of the box, 
as well as at the top, the bees will commence work a little 
sooner. Every inducement should be offered to get them 
into the boxes as soon as possible after the hive is full. 
Whenever, ibr want of room, they are compelled to go into 
another apartment, they will hesitate and lose a little time. 

If the honey stored in the frames of the movable comb 
hive were only in a marketable form, we could get much 
more in quantity by making our hives large enough to 
contain a few more frames than would be required to hold 
winter stores. 

ADVANTAGE OP GLASS BOXES. 

This advantage attends glass boxes : while being filled, 
the progress can be watched till they are finished. They 
should then be taken off to preserve the purity of the combs. 
Every day that the bees are allowed to pass over them 
needlessly, renders them darker. Consequently, when 



140 PUTTING ON AND TAKING OFF BOXES. 

our bees are a long time filling a box, the comb is not as 
purely white as when filled expeditiously. Occasionally, 
a colony will contain too many bees to work to advantage 
in one set of boxes. In such a case, after the first are 
well advanced, raise them up and put another set under 
them, with holes for communication through both top and 
bottom. 

Two weeks is about the shortest time in which boxes 
are filled and finished. The time, of course, depends on 
the yield of honey and size of the swarm. It usually takes 
three or four weeks. 

WHEN TO TAKE THEM OFF. 

When no more honey is gathered, all boxes that are 
worth saving should be taken off. If left longer, the 
comb not only becomes dark, but unsealed cells containing 
honey, are often emptied by the bees. The condition of 
the boxes can be readily ascertained by raising the cover. 

If a slide of tin or zinc is used to close the holes when boxes 
are taken off, some of the bees are apt to be crushed, or 
find themselves minus a head, leg or wing, and all of them 
will be irritable for several days. A little smoke will an- 
swer every purpose. Raise the box sufficiently to puff 
under it some smoke, and the bees will leave the vicinity 
of the holes in an instant. The box can then be removed, 
and another put on if necessary, without exciting their 
anger in the least. 

Arouse the bees by striking the box lightly four or five 
times. If all the cells are finished, and honey is still ob- 
tained, turn the box bottom up, near the hive from which 
it was taken, so that the bees can enter it without flying. 
By this means you can save several young bees that have 
never left the hive and marked the location ; also a few 
others too weak to fly, which will follow the rest into 
the hive. Such are lost when we are obliged to take them 



PUTTING ON AND TAKING OFF BOXES. 141 

to a distance. Boxes can fee taken off either at morning 
or evening ; if in the morning, they may stand several 
hours when the sun is not too hot, but on no account let 
them stand in the sun in the middle of the day, as the 
combs will melt. The bees will all leave, sometimes in an 
hour ; at others it will take longer. They may be taken 
off at evening, and let stand until morning, in fair weather ; 
if not too cool, they are generally all out, but when they 
stand so long, there is some risk of the moth finding them. 

HOW TO GET RID OF THE BEES. 

When boxes are taken off at the end of the honey sea- 
son, a different method of getting rid of the bees must be 
adopted, or we shall lose the honey. Unless the combs 
are all finished, we shall inevitably lose some, as most of 
the bees fill themselves before leaving. They carry it 
home, and return immediately for more, and will take it 
all if not prevented. It is recommended to take the boxes 
to some dark room, with a small opening to let the bees 
out. In the course of the day they will generally all leave, 
but I have found this method unsafe, as they sometimes 
find their way back. When a large number of boxes are 
to be managed, a more expeditious mode is, to have a 
large box with close joints, or an empty hogshead, or a 
few barrels with one head out, set in a convenient place. 
Put the boxes in, one above another, so as not to stop 
the holes, and throw over the top a thin cloth, to admit 
the light. . The bees will leave the boxes, creep to the top, 
and get on the cloth. Turn this over a few times, and 
you will thus get rid of all the bees with but little loss of 
honey. All the old bees will return to the hive, but a few 
young ones will be lost. 

BEES NOT DISPOSED TO STING. 

Bees seldom offer to sting during this operation, even 
when the box is taken off without smoke, and carried 



142 PUTTING ON AND TAKING OFF BOXES. 

away from the hive. After a* little time, the bees fiuding 
themselves away from home, will lose all animosity. 

As honey becomes scarce, less brood is reared, and a great 
many cells become empty, also several cells that contained 
honey have been drained to mature the portion of brood 
just started at the time of the failure. We can now under- 
stand why our best stocks, that are very heavy, and but a few 
days before were crowded for room, and storing in boxes, 
are now eager for honey to store in the hive ; as there is 
room for several pounds. They will quickly remove to the 
hive the contents of any box left exposed, or even risk their 
lives by entering a neighboring hive in search of honey. 

During a yield of honey, take off boxes as fast as 
they are filled, and put on empty ones. At the end of the 
season, take all off. Not one stock in a hundred will starve, 
that has worked in boxes, that is, when the hive is of the 
proper size, and was full before adding boxes, unless it has 
been robbed, or met with some other misfortune. 

I prefer taking off all boxes at the end of the first yield 
of honey, even when I expect to put them on again for 
buckwheat honey. The bees at this season collect a great 
abundance of propolis, which they spread over the inside 
of the boxes as well as the hive ; in some instances it is 
spread on the glass so thickly as to prevent the quality of 
the honey from being seen. There is no necessity for 
boxes on a hive, at any time, when there is no yield of 
honey to fill them. Sometimes, even in a supply of buck- 
wheat honey, a stock may contain too few bees to fill 
boxes, but just enough to smear them with propolis, which 
should not be allowed, as it makes them look badly when 
used another year. At this season, (August) some old 
stocks may be full of combs, and have but few bees ; but 
when swarms have the hive full in time, they are very 
sure to have bees enough to work in boxes. I have known 
them to do so in two weeks after being hived. Some put 



PUTTING ON AND TAKING OFF BOXES. 143 

on boxes at the time the swarms are hived. In such cases 
the box is often filled first, and will quite often contain 
brood. I consider it no advantage, but often a damage to 
do so, unless the swarm is very large and early. I want 
the hive full in any case, and if they have time to do more, 
they may then enter the boxes, although they may gather 
buckwheat instead of clover honey. 

When the boxes are free from the bees, two things are 
to be attended to, if we wish to preserve our honey till 
cold weather. One is to keep out the worms, the other to 
prevent souring. The last may be new to many, but it 
sometimes occurs in warm weather from dampness. The 
combs become covered with moisture, a portion of the 
honey becomes thin like water, and turns sour. Remedy : 
keep perfectly dry and cool, especially dry. 

TO SECURE HONEY FROM WORMS. 

But the worms, you can surely keep them out, you 
think, since you can seal up the boxes perfectly close, pre- 
venting the moth, or even the smallest ant from entering. 
Yes, you may do this effectually, but the worms will often 
be there, unless kept in a very low temperature, as in a 
very cool cellar, or house, and then you have dampness to 
guard against. I store my surplus honey in a cool, dry 
cellar, and have no trouble whatever with the moth worm. 

I have taken off glass jars, and watched them till the 
bees were all out, and was certain the moth did not come 
near them ; then immediately sealed them up, absolutely 
preventing any access, and felt quite sure that I should 
have no trouble with the worms. But I was sadly mis- 
taken. In a few days, I could see a little white dust, like 
flour, on the side of the combs, and bottom of the jar. 
As the worms grew larger, this dust was coarser. By 
looking closely at the combs, a small, white thread-like 
line could be perceived, enlarging as the worm progressed. 



144 PUTTING ON AND TAKING OFF BOXES. 

When combs are filled with honey, the worms work 
only on the surface, eating nothing but the sealing of the 
cells, seldom penetrating to the centre, unless there is an 
empty cell. Disgusting as they seem to be, they dislike 
being daubed with honey. Wax, not honey, is their food. 

THE WAY THE WORMS GET IN. 

The reader would like to know how these worms came 
in the jars, when to all appearance, it was a physical im- 
possibility. I would like to give a positive answer, but 
can not. I will offer a theory, however, which is original, 
and therefore open to criticism. If there is any better so- 
lution of the problem, I would be glad to hear it. 

From the 1st of June till late in the fall, the moth may 
be found around our hives, active at night, but quiet by 
day. Her only object, probably, is to find a suitable place 
to deposit her eggs, where her young may have food. If 
no proper and convenient place is found, she will be con- 
tent with such as she can find. The eggs must be depos- 
ited somewhere, and she leaves them in the cracks of the 
hive, in the dust at the bottom, or outside as near the 
entrance as she dare approach. The bees running over 
them may accidentally attach one or more to their feet or 
bodies, and carry them among the combs where they will 
be left to hatch. It is not at all probable that the moth 
ever passed through the hive, among the bees, to deposit 
her eggs in the jars before mentioned. Had these jars 
been left on the hive, not a worm would have ever defaced 
a comb, because, \vhen the bees are numerous, each worm 
is removed as soon as it commences its work of destruc- 
tion — that is, when it works on the surface, as it does in the 
boxes. By taking off these jars, and removing the bees, 
all the eggs that happened to be there had a fair chance. 
Many writers finding the combs to be undisturbed when 
left on the hive till cold weather, recommend that, as the 



PUTTING ON AND TAKING OFF BOXES. 145 

only safe way, preferring to have the combs a little darker 
to the risk of their destruction by the worms. But I ob- 
ject to dai'k combs ; and leaving the boxes on will effectu- 
ally prevent empty ones from taking their places, thereby 
involving a loss of surplus honey. I will offer a few more 
remarks in favor of my view, and then give my remedy 
for the worms. I have found in all hives from which the 
bees have been removed in warm weather, say between 
the middle of June and September, moth eggs enough 
among the combs to destroy them in a very short time, 
unless kept in a very cool place. This result has been 
uniform. Any person doubting this, may remove the bees 
from a hive full of combs, in July or August. Close it to 
prevent the entrance of a moth, and set it away in a tem- 
perature ranging from 60° to 90°, and if there are not 
worms enough to satisfy him, he will have better success 
than I ever did.* 



Whether the foregoing theory is satisfactory or other- 
wise, we will proceed to the remedy. Perhaps you will 
find some boxes that will have no worms about them ; 
others may contain from ten to twenty when they have 
been ofi" a week or more. All the eggs should have time 
to hatch, which in cool weather may take three weeks. 
They should be watched, that no worms get large enough 
to materially injure the combs. Get a close barrel or box 
that will confine the air as much as possible ; in this put 
the boxes with the holes open. Leave a place for a dish 
in which to burn some sulphur matches, made by dipping 
paper or rags in melted sulphur. When all is ready, ignite 



*Dr. Kirtland, of Cleveland, O., in a lecture before the students of the Medical 
College, in Cleveland, gave substantially this theory, in accounting for the 
presence of the worms in the hive. Whether it originated with him or not, he 
does not sav. 



146 SWAKMING. 

the matches, and cover close for several hours. A little 
care is necessary to use the right quantity ; if there is too 
little, the worms are not killed ; if too much, it gives the 
combs a green color. A little experience will soon enable 
you to judge. If the worms are not killed on the first 
trial, another dose must be administered. Whether this 
gas from burning sulphur will destroy the eggs of the 
moth, I have not tested sufficiently to decide ; but I do 
know that it is an effectual quietus for the larvae. 

Much less sulphur will adhere to paper or rags, when it 
is very hot, than when just above the tenrperature neces- 
sary to melt it. This should be considered, also the num- 
ber of boxes to be treated, size of the barrel used, etc. 

Boxes taken off at the end of warm weather, and ex- 
posed to cold through the winter, will have all the worms 
as well as eggs destroyed, consequently boxes so exposed 
may be kept any length of time, if the moth is carefully 
excluded. 



CHAPTER X. 

SWARMING. 



The subject now before us is one of exciting interest. 
The prospect of an increase of stocks is sufficient to engage 
the attention of the apiarian, even when the phenomenon 
of swarming would fail to awaken it. But to the natural- 
ist this season has charms that the indifferent beholder can 
never realize. 

KNOWLEDGE NECESSARY. 

It is important that the practical apiarian, as well as the 
naturalist, should have a thorough knowledge of this 
branch of apiculture, and not accept any assertions without 



SWARMING. 147 

evidence. Twelve years ago, I found it necessary to es- 
tablish many positions with facts, and also to give the 
manner of obtaining them. But I now have the movable 
comb hive, which gives ocular demonstration of what then 
appeared to be mere conjecture, and it will be unnecessary 
to specify in every case the process by which I have 
arrived at certain conclusions. I trust that the objector 
will see the necessity of depending upon facts, instead of 
any notion, imbibed from nursery tales. Neither will it 
always do to reason analogically, because nature nowhere 
gives us an exact parallel. 

A noted politician who has reached an eminent position 
as a legislator, declared a short time since, that the queen 
bee was a myth — that she existed only in the imagination 
of ignorant bee-keepers. Every man who has taken the 
first step in the investigation of apiarian science, knows 
that he made a fool of himself quite unnecessarily. 

WHEN SWARMING COMMENCES. 

The swarming season in this latitude sometimes com- 
mences May 15th, and at other times, July 1st. It usually 
ends about the 15th of the latter month. I have known 
two seasons in Montgomery Co., N. Y.,. when swarms 
continued to issue throughout the entire summer, begin- 
ning in May and ending August 25th, with no interval of 
more than a week without swarms. One of these, 1863, 
was wet, and the flowers yielded but little honey. The 
native bees sent out about one-third the usual number of 
swarms, while the Italians continued to swarm for three 
months. They did not store much more honey than 
others, but they must have collected more to feed the 
greater quantities of brood which they reared. Rather 
than be idle Avhen the yield was scanty, they collected 
material, made combs, reared brood, and sent out swarms ; 
and at the end of the season the colonies were as strong, 



148 SWAEMING. 

and had as much honey as the natives, which had not 
swarmed. 

The bee-keeper who thinks much of his bees, will, of 
course, wish to see and hive his swarms as they issue. If 
neglected, for even a short time after they cluster, they 
will often relieve themselves from such protection, and 
seek the shelter of some old tree in the woods, humming 
indignant reproaches as they leave. Without some 
knowledge of the indications of swarms, we often watch 
vainly for weeks, remaining at home, and perhaps neglect- 
ing important business in the fruitless expectation that the 
" bees will swarm." External appearances are not to be 
depended on. Very early swarms often issue before clus- 
tering out ; also, they very often cluster out without 
swarming. It is necessary to look inside the hive for 
reliable indications. 

I have several apiaries away from home that need atten- 
tion in the swarming season, and a person must be on 
hand each fair day, to take charge of the swarms as they 
issue. To avoid watching unnecessarily before they begin, 
and after they cease, some one examines the hives in the 
middle of the day. 

INDICATIONS. 

If they are box hives, a little smoke is blown under, the 
hives turned over, the bees driven away with a little more 
smoke, and the queen cells examined. If there are none 
containing eggs or larvae, or none with thin smooth walls, 
evidently just begun, there is not much prospect of a swarm 
for several days. There is always a possibility, however, 
that some cells will be out of sight. But if any cells con- 
tain eggs, or larvae nearly ready to seal over, or actually 
sealed over, we know at once what to expect. When 
sealed over, the swarm w T ill probably issue the next day. 
This is at the beginning of the season. If at, or near the 



SWARMING. 149 

close, we examine again, and find the sealed queens 
destroyed, we at once conclude that they are' done 
swarming. 

CAKE IN EXAMINING BEES. 

Full hives require a little more care in turning over, 
than others. You need not be in fear of the bees, running 
up the sides of the hive ; they will not sting. Lift the hive 
carefully, and avoid breathing among them, except to blow 
the smoke. It can be done at morning or evening, but 
more bees are in the way, and they are more inclined to 
be cross. In operating with the native bees, protection 
for the face or hands is hardly necessary, but with the 
Italians it would sometimes be well to put something over 
the face. 

To a person who has never inverted a hive full to over- 
flowing of bees, or has never seen it done, it appears like a 
great undertaking, as well as the probable ruin of the 
stocks. But after the first trial, the magnitude of the per- 
formance is greatly diminished, and will grow less with 
every repetition of the feat, until there is not the least 
dread attending it. Without smoke, I hardly deem it 
practicable, but with it there is not the least difficulty. It 
would be very unsatisfactory to turn over a hive, and have 
nothing with which to drive the bees away from the very 
places-- which you wish particularly to inspect. The smoke 
is just the thing to do it. 

I never discovered any bad effects of such overturning 
and smoking. 

With the movable comb hive we have only to lift out 
the frames, to be able to predict when a swarm may be 
expected. 

I have found the requisites for all regular swarms to be 
something like this. The combs must be crowded with 
bees ; they must contain a numerous brood advancing from 



150 



SWARMING. 



the egg to maturity, and the bees must be obtaining honey 
either from flowers, or artificial sources.* A "surplus of 
bees in a scarcity of honey is insufficient to bring out the 
swarm, neither will plenty of honey suffice, without the 
bees and brood. The period of proper duration in which 
all these conditions exist, will vary in different stocks, and 
many times does not occur at all during the season. 

These causes appear to result in the construction of 
queen cells, generally begun before the hive is filled ; 
sometimes when only half full. 



PREPARATIONS FOR SWARMING. 

They are about one third done when they receive the 
eggs ; as these eggs hatch into larvas, others are begun, 

and receive eggs 
at different periods 
for several days 
later. The num- 
ber of such cells 
seems to be gov- 
erned by the pros- 
es perity of the bees ; 
when the family is 
large, and the yield 
of honey abun- 
dant, they ' may 
construct twenty, 
at other times not 
more than two or 
three, although 
several such cells 
may remain empty. 
I have already said that a failure, or even a partial one, 




Tig. 22.— CLUSTER OF QUEEN CELLS. 
a, a, «, Size of the cell when the egg is deposited; 6, Fin- 
ished cell; c, Cell from which a viiituru queen has emerg- 
ed; d, Cell in which the queen has been destroyed by a 
rival, and removed by the workers. 



* The Italians will swarm sooner than the native bee when obtaining but little 
honey. 



SWAKMING. 151 

in the yield of honey at any time after the royal eggs are 
deposited, before the sealing of the cells — which is ahout 
ten days — will be likely to ensure their destruction. Even 
after being sealed, I have sometimes known them to be 
destroyed. 

WHEN SWARMS ISSUE. 

But when there is nothing precarious about the supply 
of honey, the sealing of these cells indicates the first 
swarm, which will generally issue on the first fair day after 
one or more are finished. I have never missed a prediction 
of a swarm, when I have judged from these signs, in a 
prosperous season. 

When there is a partial failure of honey, the swarm 
will sometimes wait several days after finishing these cells. 
If the family is strong, and there is a sudden increase in 
the yield of honey, the swarm may not w T ait for the sealing 
of any cells, but will issue about the time, or very soon 
after, eggs are laid in them. This occurs sufficiently often 
to be mentioned as an exception to the rule. But never- 
theless, the rule is, to expect the first swarm upon the 
sealing of any of the royal cells. 

Again, if there is a failure of honey when these cells are 
finished, there may be no swarm. A failure often occurs 
between fruit blossoms and white clover, and also at the 
end of the honey season, whether it be the first, middle, or 
last of July. The first deficiency occurs about June 1st. 
If fruit blossoms have yielded only a moderate amount of 
honey, the strong stocks that have a good supply, feeling their 
importance, like some specimens of the human family, who 
consider a moderate competence inexhaustible, will indulge 
in extravagance by rearing a useless number of drones. 
When the income ceases, and famine is close at hand, 
something must be done to save the colony. The drones 
are sacrificed for the good of the community ; even the 



152 SWARMING. 

brood is destroyed, queen cells demolished, and all idea of 
swarming given up. The destruction of drones at any- 
time may be accepted as evidence that, for the time being, 
swarming is over. Colonies possessing but a moderate 
supply of bees and honey, usually work on safe principles ; 
they can not afford to rear any drones, and when the 
scarcity between fruit blossoms and clover occurs, they 
pass the crisis without any sacrifice, and are ready to take 
advantage of the first yield, and will throw out swarms 
long before those who were apparently far more prosper- 
ous in the beginning of spring. This explains how a 
second-rate stock may sometimes surpass a " No. 1 " in 
swarming, which has been quite a mystery to many bee- 
keepers. 

WHY DRONES ARE SOMETIMES KXLLED EST SPUING. 

I have seen statements going the rounds of the agricul- 
tural press like this : " There will be no swarms this year, 
as the bees have killed off their drones." This fact does 
not settle the matter for the season, by any means, but it 
will assuredly be some weeks before they can possibly get 
another brood of drones under way. After a reverse of 
this kind, they will not begin again until honey is obtained 
in abundance, and it is quite often that all the conditions 
are not present again, until the season is so far advanced 
that it is too late. Occasionally they make preparation's 
the second time, and again abandon them. It is quite un- 
usual for none of them to send out swarms late in the 
season. 

Who will say that bees do not manifest wisdom ? "What 
prudent man would emigrate with a family if famine were 
plainly indicated, when by remaining at home, he would 
have a present abundance ? Who can fail to admire this 
wise and beautiful arrangement ? The combs must con- 
tain brood ; the bees must find honey during the rearing 



SWARMESTG. 1 53 

of the queens. If a swarm were to issue as soon as honey 
were obtained, the consequences might be fatal, as there 
would not be a numerous brood to hatch out, and replen- 
ish the old stock with bees enough to keep out the worms. 
Were they to issue at any time, as soon as the bees had 
increased enough to spare a swarm, without regard to the 
yield of honey, they might starve. 

WHICH BEES ISSUE. 

I find many theories conflicting with these views which 
need attention. It is generally supposed that a young 
queen must be matured to issue with the swarms, and that 
the old queen and old bees are permanent residents of the 
old hive. It is probable that no rule governs the issue of 
the workers. Old and young come out promiscuously. 
That old bees issue with a swarm is evident from the fact 
that sometimes not a quarter as many will be left as com- 
menced work in the spring. Also a great many may be 
seen in late swarms, with wings so worn as to be unable to 
fly with the load of honey which they attempt to carry. I 
have seen enough get down in this way, from one swarm, 
to fill a pint measure. 

That young bees leave, any one may be satisfied on see- 
ing a swarm issue. A great many too young and weak to 
fly, will drop down in front of the hive, having come out 
now for the first time, perhaps not an hour out of the cell ; 
these very young bees may be known by their color. That 
these may creep back to the hive, is another inducement 
to set it near the ground. 

The old queen often gets down in the same way, but her 
burden of eggs is probably the cause of her inability to fly. 

THE OLD QUEEN LEAVES. 

That the old queen leaves with the first swarm is so 
easily proved with the movable comb hive, that it is un- 



154 SWARMING. 

necessary to occupy several pages in maintaining it. After 
the swarm lias left, you have only to examine the combs, 
to be assured that she is nowhere in the hive. The absence 
of eggs in the cells is other proof. 

HIVES SHOULD BE HEADY. 

"We will now suppose that some of your colonies are 
ready to send out swarms, and will also presume that the 
empty hives for the reception of swarms are in readiness. 
To prepare a hive after the swarm has issued, indicates 
bad management ; negligence here, argues negligence 
elsewhere ; it is one of the premonitions of " bad luck." 

You will also want a number of bottom boards expressly 
for hiving. Get a board a little larger than the bottom of 
the hive, nail strips across the ends on the under side, to 
prevent warping ; in the middle cut out a space five or six 
inches square, and cover w r ith wire-cloth. These are for 
your large swarms in very hot weather, to be used for 
four or five days. It is much safer to use them than to 
raise the hive an inch or two for ventilation. They are 
also essential on many other occasions. 

IMMEDIATE INDICATIONS OP A SWARM. 

When the day is fair, and there is not too much wind, 
first swarms generally issue from 10 A. M., till 3 P. M. 
The first outside indication, of a swarm will be an unusual 
number of bees about the entrance, from one to sixty 
minutes before they start. The utmost confusion seems 
to prevail, bees run about in every direction, and the en- 
trance is apparently closed by the mass of bees ; present- 
ly a column from the interior, forces a passage to the open 
air ; they rush out by hundreds, vibrating their wings, and 
when a few inches from the entrance, rise in the air ; some 
rush up the side of the hive, others to the edge of the 
bottom-board. If you have seen the old queen come out 



SWARMING. 155 

the first one, and the rest following her, as we are often 
told she does, yon have seen what I never did in a first 
swarm. I have occasionally seen the old queen issue, but 
not before the swarm was half out. Second and third 
swarms conduct themselves quite differently. 

The bees, when first rising from the hive, describe cir- 
cles of but few feet, but as they recede, they spread over 
an area of several rods. Their movements are much 
slower than usual. In a few moments thousands may be 
seen revolving in every possible direction. A swarm may 
be seen and heard at a distance where fifty hives at ordi- 
nary work would not be noticed. 

SWARM CLUSTERS. 

When all are out of the hive, or soon after, some branch 
of a tree or bush is usually selected upon which to cluster. 
In less than half a minute after the spot is indicated, even 
when the bees are spread over an acre, they are gathered 
in the immediate vicinity, and all cluster in a body, in 
from five to ten minutes after leaving the hive. They 
should be hived immediately, as they show impatience if 
left long, especially in the sun ; also if another colony 
should send out a swarm while they were hanging there, 
they would be quite sure to unite. 

HOW TO DO IT. 

It makes but little difference in what way they are put 
into the hive, provided they are all made to go in. Pro- 
ceed as is most convenient ; an old table or bench is very 
good to keep them out of the grass, should there happen to 
be any. If there is nothing in the way, lay your bottom- 
board on the ground, make it level, set your hive on it 
and raise one edge an inch or more with small sticks or 
stones, to give the bees a chance to enter. 

Cut off the branch on which the bees are hanging, if it 



156 SWARMING. 

can be done as well as not, and shake them off in front of the 
hive ; a portion will discover it and will at once commence 
a vibration of their wings, which seems to be a call for the 
others. A knowledge that a new home is found, seems to 
be communicated in this way, as it is continued until all 
have entered. A great many are apt to stop about the 
entrance, thereby nearly or quite closing it, and preventing 
others from going in. You can expedite their progress 
by gently disturbing them with a stick or quill. When 
gentle means will not induce them to enter in a reasonable 
time, and they appear obstinate, a little water sprinkled on 
them will greatly facilitate operations. Be careful and not 
overdo the matter by using too much water ; they can be 
made so wet that they will not move at all. 

When they cluster on a branch that you do not wish to 
cut off, arrange the bottom-board as before directed, then 
turn the hive bottom up directly under the main part of 
the cluster, and if you have an assistant, let him jar the 
branch sufficiently to dislodge the bees ; most of them will 
fall directly into the hive. If no assistant is at hand, strike 
the under side of the branch with the bottom of the hive, 
and when the bees have fallen in it, set it on the board ; 
the sticks will prevent the bottom from crushing the bees. 

I have gone up a ladder twenty feet high, got the bees 
in the hive in this way, and backed down without difficul- 
ty. After putting the hive in its place, sometimes a part 
of the bees will go back to the alighting place ; in that 
case a small leafy branch should be held directly under 
and close to them, and as many jarred on it as possible. 
Hold this still, and shake the other to prevent their clus- 
tering there ; you will soon have them all collected, ready 
to bring down and put by the hive. 

A basket or large tin pan may be taken up the ladder 
instead of the hive, from which the bees can be readily 
emptied before it. But very few will fly out in com. 



SWARMING. 157 

ing down. If you succeed in getting nearly all the bees at 
the first effort, merely shaking the branch will be sufficient 
to prevent the remainder from alighting, and will turn 
their attention below, where those which have already 
found a hive will be doing their best to call them. When 
the hive is first turned over, most of the bees will fall on 
the board and rush out, but as soon as they realize that a 
home is found, they will commence buzzing. This quickly 
communicates the fact to those outside, who immediately 
turn about and hum in concert while inarching in. 

Another plan may be adopted if they light very high, 
when the branch is not too large, and there is not too 
much in the way below it. Have ready two or three light 
poles of suitable length, with a branch at-the upper end, 
large enough to support a bushel basket. Raise the basket 
directly under the swarm, and with another pole dislodge 
all the bees. They will fall into it and may be quickly let 
down. Now, if you have secured nearly all, throw a sheet 
over them for a few moments to prevent their escape. 
They soon become quiet, when they may be hived, and 
but few will return to the branch, as many will do when 
they are put in the hive immediately. When many 
swarms are to be brought down in this way, a bag may be 
prepared which can be put up among the branches where 
it would be difficult to use a basket. Sew a hoop around 
the top of a bag, and fasten one side of it to a piece of 
wood two inches square, and three feet long, four inches 
from one end. Brace the hoop with a strong wire fastened 
six inches below. Around the lower end of the stick, fas- 
ten a band of hoop iron twelve inches long, in such a 
manner that it will form a loop two inches in diameter, on 
one side, and make another loop one inch in diameter, in 
the same w T ay, one foot above. Light poles of different 
lengths should be fitted into these bands. 

When ready to operate, put in a pole long enough to 



158 



SWAKMIJSTG. 



reach the bees, and raise the mouth of the bag directly 
under them. With the end that projects above the hoop, 
strike the limb upon which the bees have clustered, with 
force sufficient to jar them into the bag. By dexterously 




Fig. 23. — BAG FOR HIVING BEES. 

tipping it sideways, the mouth of the bag can be effectually 
closed, and the bees brought to the ground without diffi- 
culty. In a few minutes they become quiet, and can be 
hived as before mentioned. 

This method is generally to be preferred to ascending 
the ladder. 

Bees often begin to cluster near the ground, in a con- 
venient situation for hiving. In such a case I do not wait 



SWARMING. 159 

for all to alight, but as soon as such place is indicated, I 
get the board and hive ready. When a quart or so are 
gathered, I shake them in the hive, and set it up ; the 
swarm will now go to that, instead of the branch, espe- 
cially if the latter is shaken a little. Where many bees 
are kept, it is advisable to be as expeditious as possible. 
A swarm w-ill thus be hived much sooner than when al- 
lowed to cluster. 

Swarms will sometimes alight in places where it is im- 
possible to jar them off, such as a large limb, or trunk of 
a tree. In which case place the hive near, as first direct- 
ed ; take a large tin dipper — the most convenient vessel 
for the purpose — and dip it full of bees ; with one hand 
turn back the hive, and with the other put the bees into it.* 
Some of them will discover that a home is provided, and 
set up the buzzing. The remainder can be emptied in 
front of the hive as you dip them off. I have known a few 
instances when the first dipper full all ran out and joined 
the others without making the discovery that they were in 
a hive, but this is seldom the case. When you get the 
queen in, there will be no trouble with the remainder, 
even if there are many left. 

As soon as they ascertain that the queen is not among 
them, they will manifest it by their uneasy movements. 

ALL, SHOULD BE MADE TO ENTEK. 

They will soon leave and join those in the hive, or if the 
queen is yet on the tree, even if there be but a dozen with 
her, those in the hive will leave and cluster again. In all 
cases they must all be made to enter; a cluster outside 
may contain the queen, unconscious of a home, and the 
consequence might be, her departure for a miserable one 
in the woods. 



* Dipping is preferable to brushing with a wing or broom, as the latter irritates 
them exceedingly. 



160 SWARMING. 

CARRY TO THE STAND. 

When all are in, except a few that will be flying, let the 
hive close down to the board, take hold of this and carry- 
it at once to the stand which they are to occupy, and raise 
the front edge half an inch, unless you use the bottom 
board recommended. Let the back rest on the board, 
that they may have means to re-ascend, if they chance to 
fall, which large swarms often do in hot weather. If the 
bottom is an inch or more from the board when they thus 
fall, there is nothing to prevent their rushing out on every 
side ; they can not easily get up again, and if the queen 
comes out with the rush, there are some chances of their 
leaving. 

TO PUT THEM IN A MOVABLE COMB HTVE. 

There are but few movable comb hives which the bees 
will as readily enter as the box. It is usually the least 
trouble to put the swarm in a box hive, and transfer to 
the other, near evening, or at your first leisure. A plain 
box made of thin boards, is lighter and easier handled than 
a common box hive. Carry the swarm to the stand, and 
if the hive is like the one I use, remove the honey board, 
spread the frames each way from the middle, and shake 
the bees directly in the hive between the frames, as you 
would a quantity of grain. Before many can creep out, 
lay on the honey board. As the hive is close to the bot- 
tom, no bees can get out except at the entrance, and these 
will immediately turn about. If a few are yet adhering to 
the box, give it a jar in front of the hive. After all are 
quiet, the frames may be properly adjusted. 

SHADE IMPORTANT. 

It is very important that swarms should be protected 
from the sun for several days in hot weather, from nine o'clock 
till three or four ; and then if the heat is very oppressive, 



SWAKMING. 161 

and the bees cluster outside, sprinkle them with water and 
drive them in. Wetting the hive occasionally will carry 
off a large portion of the heat, and make it much more 
comfortable. 

CLUSTERING BUSHES. 

If there are no large trees in the vicinity of your apiary, 
all the better ; there will then be no trouble with the 
swarms lighting out of reach, but all bee-keepers are not 
so fortunate. In a place where there are no natural con- 
veniences, it is necessary to provide something for them 
to cluster on. Get some bushes six or eight feet high — 
evergreens are preferable — cut off the ends of the branches 
except a few near the top, secure the whole with strings, 
to prevent swaying in ordinary winds, make a hole in the 
earth deep enough to hold them, and so large that they 
may be easily lifted out. The bees will be likely to clus- 
ter on some of these ; they can then be raised out and the 
swarm hived without difficulty. A bunch of dry mullen- 
tops tied together on the end of a pole, makes a very good 
place for clustering ; it so nearly resembles a swarm that 
bees themselves appear to be sometimes deceived. I have 
frequently known them to leave a branch where they had 
begun to cluster, and settle on this when held near. 

The reasons for immediately removing the swarm to the 
stand, are, that they are generally more convenient to 
watch in case they are disposed to leave, and many bees 
can be saved. All that leave the hive, mark the location 
the same as in spring. Several hundreds will probably 
leave the first day, a few, several times. When removed 
at night to the permanent stand, such will return to the 
stand of the previous day, and are generally lost, whereas, 
if they are removed at once, this loss is avoided. 

Those that are left flying at the time, return to the old 
6tock, which those that return from the swarm the next 



162 SWARMING. 

day will not always do. It will take no longer to move 
them at one time thaa at another. It is useless to object, 
and say that " it will take too long to wait for the bees to 
get in." I shall insist on your making all the bees enter 
before you leave them. I consider this an essential feature 
in the management. I Will not say that my directions will 
always prevent their going to the woods, but in my expe- 
rience, not one in a thousand has ever thus left. It is 
possible that judicious management has had no influence 
upon my success, yet I have indulged something like an 
opinion of this kind for a long time. 

LOSS BY FLIGHT. 

Some of my neighboring bee-keepers lose a quarter or 
half their swarms by flight, and how do they manage ? 
When the word is given out, "Bees swarming," a tin 
horn, tin pan, or any thing to make a horrible din, is seized 
upon, and as much noise made as possible, to make them 
cluster, which they naturally would do, without the music. 
The fact that they would cluster in any case, probably 
gave rise to the opinion of the old lady who knew " drum- 
ming on a tin pan did good, for she had tried it." Very 
often a hive is to be constructed, or an old one, unfit to 
use in any shape, must have some new cross sticks ; or 
something else must be done to take time. "When the 
hive is obtained, it must be washed with something nice 
to make the bees like it ; a little honey, or sugar and wa- 
ter, molasses and water, salt and water, must be daubed on 
the inside ; or salt and water rubbed on with hickory 
leaves is " the best thing in the world ;" several other 
things are just as good, and some are better. Even 
whiskey, that bane of man, has been offered them as a 
bribe to stay, and sometimes they endure these nuisances, 
and go to work. 



SWARMING. 163 

NOTHING BUT BEES NECESSABY IN A HIVE. 

I will not say positively that all these things do harm, 
yet I am quite sure that they do no good, as nothing is 
needed but bees in a hive. Is it reasonable to suppose that 
they are fond of all the " knick-knacks " given them ? I 
have never used any, and could not possibly have done 
much better. I am careful to have the hive sweet and. 
clean, and not too smooth inside ; an old hive that has 
been used before, is scalded and scraped. 

But to the manner in which people get the bees in, 
after the hive is ready. A table with a cloth spread over 
it, is set out, and the hive prepared as above, is set upon 
it. If they succeed in getting the swarm even on the 
outside of the hive, it is left ; if it goes in, it is well ; if it 
goes off, " better luck next time." The hive is left unshel- 
tered in the hot sun, and when there is no wind, the heat 
is soon insupportable, or at least very oppressive. The 
bees hang in loose strings instead of a compact body, as 
when kept cool. They are very apt to fall, and when they 
do, will rush out on every side ; if the queen chance to 
drop with them, they may " step out." Two-thirds of all 
the bees that go to the woods, are managed in this, or a 
similar manner, and may it not be said they are fairly 
driven off? 

Hives painted some dark color will become intolerably 
warm in the sun, and are often deserted. The rank smell 
of newly painted hives of any color, often causes the bees 
to leave for more pleasant quarters in the woods. 

Perhaps one swarm in three hundred will depart for the 
woods without clustering. But I have never had one 
leave me thus. Yet I have indisputable evidence that some 
will do it. 



164 SWARMING. 

DO THEY SELECT A HOME BEFORE SWARMING. • 

The inquiry is often made, do all swarms have a place 
selected before leaving the parent stock ? The answer 
to this must ever be conjectural. I could relate some cir- 
cumstances favoring the affirmative, and as many for the 
negative, but will let it pass. Yet I think if bees are pro- 
perly cared for, that ninety-nine swarms in a hundred will 
prefer a good clean hive to a rotten tree in the woods. 

HOW FAR WILL THEY GO. 

How far they will go in search of a home is also uncer- 
tain. I have heard of their going seven miles, but could 
not learn how the fact was proved. I have no experience 
of my own upon this point, but will relate a circumstance 
that happened near me. While a neighbor was plowing, a 
swarm passed over him ; being near the earth, he " pelted 
them heartily " with loose dirt, which brought them down, 
and they clustered on a low bush ; they were hived and 
gave no further trouble. A man living some three miles 
from this one, on that day hived a swarm about eleven 
o'clock, and left them to warm up in the sun, as just de- 
scribed. About three o'clock, their stock of patience being 
probably exhausted, they resolved to seek a better shelter. 
They departed in a great hurry, not even waiting to thank 
their owner for the spread on his table, and the choice 
perfumery with which he had scented their hive. They 
gave him no notice whatever of their intention " to quit," 
until they were moving ! "With all their goods ready 
packed, they were soon under way, accompanied by their 
owner with music, but whether they marched with milita- 
ry precision, is uncertain. In this case, the bees took the 
lead ; the man with his tin-pan music, kept the rear, and 
was soon at a respectful distance. They were either not 
in a mood, just then, to be charmod by melodious sounds, 
or their business was too urgent to allow them to stop and 



S WARMING. 165 

listen. Thei'r means of locomotion being superior to his, 
he gave up in despair and out of breath, at the end of a 
mile. 

Another person, about the same time in the day, saw a 
swarm moving in the same direction ; he also followed 
them till compelled to yield to their greater locomotive 
powers. A third discovered their flight, and likewise at- 
tempted a race, but like the others, was soon left behind. 
The before-mentioned neighbor saw them, and stopped 
them as described. 

How much farther they would have gone, it is of course 
impossible to say. That it was the same swarm that 
started three miles away, appears almost conclusive. 

We will now return to the issuing of the swarms. There 
will be some emergencies to provide for, and some excep- 
tions to notice. 

If we keep many colonies, the chances are that two or 
more may issue at one time ; and when they do, they will 
nearly always cluster together. It is plain that the greater 
the number of colonies, the more such chances are multi- 
plied. 

ONE FIRST SWARM HAS BEES ENOUGH. 

One first swarm, if of the usual size, will contain bees 
enough for profit, yet two such will work together with- 
out quarreling, and will store about one-third more than 
either would alone ; that is, if each single swarm would 
gather fifty pounds, the two together would not get over 
seventy pounds, perhaps less. Here then is a loss of thirty 
pounds, besides the virtual loss of one of the swarms for 
another year ; because such double stocks are not gener- 
ally any better the next spring, and not often as good as 
single ones. Hence the advantage of keeping the first 
swarms separate, is apparent. 



166 SWARMING. 

HOW TO KEEP SWARMS SEPARATE. 

" Prevention is better than cure." We can, if we are 
watchful, often prevent the issue of more than one at a 
time. This depends in a great measure, on our knowledge 
of indications. I have said that before beginning to fly 
off, they were about the entrance in great numbers ; there 
may be one exception in twenty, when the first indica- 
tions will be a column of bees rushing from the hive. To 
pursue our investigations a little further, we will look 
within, that is, if glass boxes are used, su.ch as have been 
recommended. It is an advantage to know which are 
about to cast swarms, as long beforehand as possible. 

These glass boxes are usually filled with bees ; previous 
to leaving they may often be seen in commotion long be- 
fore any unusual stir is visible outside, sometimes for nearly 
an hour. The same may be noticed in a glass hive. In 
good weather, when we have reason to expect many 
swarms, it is our duty to watch closely, especially when 
the weather has been unfavorable for several days previous. 
A number of colonies may have finished their queen cells 
during the bad weather, and be ready to send out swarms 
within the first hour of sunshine that occurs in the middle 
of the day. We must expect this to take place sometimes, 
and in large apiaries there is apt to be trouble, unless pro- 
per precautions are taken. It is well to know by previous 
examination, which hives have made preparations for 
swarming, and as soon as one has begun to issue, look at 
all the rest that are in condition to swarm ; or, what is 
much better, look before any have started. Even if noth- 
ing unusual is perceived about the entrance, raise the cover 
to the boxes. If the bees there are all quiet as usual, no 
swarm need be immediately apprehended, and you will 
probably have time to hive one or two without interruption. 

But should you discover the bees running to and fro in 
great commotion, although quiet at the entrance, you 



SWARMING. 167 

should lose no time in sprinkling those outside with water. 
They will instantly enter the hive to avoid the apprehend- 
ed shower. In half an hour they will be ready to start 
again, during which time the others may be secured. I 
have had, in one apiary, sixteen hives all ready in one day, 
all of which actually swarmed, and several would have 
started at once had they not been kept back, allowing only 
one to issue at a time, as described. They had been hin- 
dered by the clouds, which broke away about noon. 

"When any of the subsequent swarms were disposed to 
unite with those already hived, a sheet was thrown over 
to keep them out. I had four so covered at once. An 
assistant is very useful at such times ; one can watch symp- 
toms, and detain the swarms, while another hives them. 
Occasionally when waiting for a swarm to start, two may 
do so simultaneously. 

CAN NOT BE STOPPED WHEN PART ARE ON THE WING. 

Whenever a part was already on the wing, I never suc- 
ceeded in retarding the issue ; it is then useless to try to 
drive or coax them back. To succeed, the means must be 
applied before any part of the swarm leaves. 

Two or more swarms will cluster together and not 
quarrel, if put into one hive. I have already mentioned 
the disadvantages. Unless business is very urgent, your 
time can not be better employed than in dividing them 

HOW TO DIVIDE. 

But it is necessary first to provide a stock of patience, as 
it may be a long job. Spread a sheet on the ground, 
shake the bees upon the centre of it, and set an empty 
hive each side of the mass, with the edges raised to allow 
the bees to enter ; if too many are disposed to enter one 
hive, set it farther off. If they cluster in a situation where 
they can not be hived in a body, they may be dipped off 



168 SWARMING. 

as before directed, but instead of putting them all in one 
hive, put a dipper full in each, alternately, till all are in. 
They should be made to enter rapidly ; keep the entrance 
clear and stir them up often, or sprinkle a very little wa- 
ter on them, as they should not be allowed to stop their 
humming until all are inside. There are even chances of 
getting a queen in each hive. The two hives should now 
be placed twenty feet apart ; if each has a queen, the bees 
will remain quiet, and the work is done ; but if not, the 
bees in the one destitute will soon manifest it, by running 
about in all directions, and when the queen can not be 
found, will leave for the other hive where there are doubt- 
less two, a few going at a time. There are two or three 
methods of separating these queens. One is, to empty 
the bees out, and proceed as before, a game of chance that 
may succeed at the next trial, and may have to be indefi- 
nitely repeated. Or, as soon as it is ascertained which is 
without a queen, spread down a sheet, set the hive on it, 
and tie the corners over the top to secure the bees. Turn 
the hive on its side for the present, to give them air, or let 
it down on a wire cloth bottom-board, and stop the hole in 
the side. The bees w T ould be less likely to be smothered 
if the hive could be secured to the bottom board and lie 
on its side. When these are secured, get another hive, 
and jar out those with the queens. Let them enter as be- 
fore, and then set them apart, watching the result. If the 
queens are not yet separated, it will soon be shown. The 
process must be continued till successful, or the bees with 
the queens may be easily looked over, and one of them 
found. Indeed, a sharp look out should be continued from 
the beginning, and one of the queens caught if possible. 

~No danger of her sting need be apprehended, for she 
will not demean herself to use it against a plebeian foe — 
she must have a royal antagonist. When successful in 
obtaining one, put her in a tumbler or some safe place; 



SWARMING. 169 

then put the bees in two hives, place them as directed, 
and you will soon learn where your queen is needed. Af- 
ter the work is completed, the hives should be at least 
twenty feet apart ; perhaps forty would be still better. 

When two swarms are mixed, and then separated, it is 
evident that a portion of each swarm must be in both 
hives. The queen in each must be a stranger to a part of 
her subjects; these might, if their own mother was too 
near, discover her, and leave the stranger for an old ac- 
quaintance, and in the act, attract the rest with them, 
including the queen. I have known a few instances of 
the kind. If you are disposed to separate them, but are 
afraid to work among them to this extent in the middle of 
the day, or if there is danger of more issues to mix with 
them, and add to the perplexity of which you already have 
enough, then you can hive them as a single swarm, but in- 
stead of using a bottom board, invert an empty hive, and 
set the one containing the swarm, on it, and insert a wedge 
between them on one side, for ventilation. Many bees are 
liable to drop down, but the lower hive will catch them, 
and there is less danger of their leaving. 

Let them remain till near sunset, when another course 
must be taken to find a queen, though by that time one is 
sometimes killed — yet it is well to know the fact. Take 
them to some place out of the sun, as a less number will 
fly during the operation. 

Look in the lower hive for a dead queen, and if you find 
none, look thoroughly as far as possible, for a compact 
cluster of bees, the size of a hen's egg, that may be rolled 
about without separating. Secure this cluster in a tum- 
bler ; it is quite likely that one of the queens is a prisoner 
in the middle.* Should two be seen, secure both. Then 



* All stranger queens, introduced into a stock or swarm, are secured and de- 
tained in this manner by the workers, but whether they dispatch them, or this is 
a means adopted to incite them to a deadly conflict, writers do not agree, and I 

8 



170 SWARMIHG. 

divide the bees and give the destitute one a queen ; or, if 
you have caught two, one to each. It would be well first 
to see if the queen is alive, by removing the bees from 
about her. But should you find no cluster of the kind, 
spread a sheet on the ground, shake the bees on one end 
of it, and let them march towards the hive at the other 
end. You may now see the cluster, and may not, but they 
will spread out, and give you a good opportunity to see 
her majesty. When you discover her, secure her by set- 
ting a tumbler over her. If there are a few bees shut up 
with her, there is no harm done. Slip a piece of window- 
glass under, and you will have her safe, and by this time 
you will know what is to be done next. This operation 
could not well be performed in the middle of the day, or 
in the sun, as so many bees would be flying that they 
would greatly interfere. . 

Should you fail to find a queen, and be unable to make 
a division in consequence, or resolve from want of time, 
patience, or energy, to let them remain together, it is un- 
necessary to put them in any larger hive than usual ; they 
will certainly have room enough by cold weather. If 
there are more than two together, they should be divided 
by all means. When two large swarms are left together, 
it is necessary to keep an inverted hive under them for 
the first three or four days, but no longer, as they might 
extend their combs into the lower hive. When the lower 
hive is removed, boxes should be immediately put on, which 
should be changed for empty ones, as fast as they are filled. 
Yet this extra honey is of not quite as much advantage as 
an increase of stocks ; when the latter is an object, I would 
recommend the following disposition of the swarms. 

can not say, as I never saw the bees voluntarily release a queen thus confined. 
But I have seen queens, when not prevented by the bees, rush together in afatal 
encounter, of which one was soon left a fallen victim. It is said that it never 
happens that both are killed in these battles— perhaps not. I never saw all of 
these royal combats, and, of course, am not competent to decide. 



SWARMING. 171 

Return one-third or more of them, without any queen, 
to one of the old stocks. They will immediately enter 
without any contention, and issue again in about nine days, 
or as soon as a young queen is matured to go with them. 
There may he exceptional cases. I would recommend this 
course in all cases of the kind, but they are apt to be 
rather idle, even when they might labor in the boxes, and 
there is often a loss of some eight or ten days. The col- 
lections of a good swarm may be estimated at from one to 
three pounds per day. A swarm that just fills the hive, 
would gather, from ten to twenty-five pounds of box 
honey, if it could have been located ten days earlier. 
Still another plan may be adopted, when you have a very 
small swarm that is not likely to fill the hive, and has not 
been hived more than two or three days. 

Put one-third of your two swarms in with that, taking 
care, as before, not to let your only queen go with them. 

The manner of doing it is very simple. Put them in a 
hive as before directed, and jar them out in front of the 
one you wish them to enter, or invert it, setting the other 
over, and let them go up. 

Except on the day of swarming, care is necessary not to 
introduce a small number with a large swarm, as they are 
liable to be destroyed. The danger is much greater than 
to pnt equal numbers together, or a large number with a 
few. On the day that swarms issue, they will generally 
mix peaceably, but in proportion as time intervenes be- 
tween the issues, the liability to quarrel will increase. 
Yet, I have united two families of about equal numbers in 
the fall and spring, and with a few exceptions, have had 
no difiiculty. 

DIFFERENT PROCESS WITH MOVABLE COMB HIVE. 

The foregoing remarks are for those who use the box 
hive. But those using the movable combs will have less 



172 SWARMING. 

trouble. All the bees may be put into one hive, with the 
surplus boxes on the top, and if necessary an empty hive 
under. There is room on the top for one-third more box- 
es, than on the box hive. If the weather has been good, 
they may be divided in a week, by putting half the combs 
in an empty hive, and proceeding as directed in chap. xi. 

If you have empty combs on hand, divide the swarms 
at once. As soon as you ascertain which has no queen, 
shut it up, and when it is so dark that the bees will not 
fly, put them in the hive containing combs. Previously 
insert a small piece of comb containing brood, from which 
they may raise a queen, that is, when you can not furnish 
a queen or queen cell. 

If you have a laying queen to spare, it is not all impor- 
tant to have combs for the queenless division ; simply 
put them in an empty hive, and give them a caged queen. 
If they do not stay willingly, confine them a day or two ; 
when the queen is set at liberty they will usually be con- 
tented. 

The difference in time gained by giving them a laying 
queen, instead of the means of rearing one, is about three 
weeks, equivalent in value to a small swarm. I have but 
little doubt that an improved system of bee culture will 
make it profitable to rear queens, and keep them on hand 
for such emergencies, as well as for all occasions where 
new queens are needed. It will sometimes insure a gain 
equal to the difference between a fair profit and actual 
loss. Should a new swarm lose its queen, you may intro- 
duce one in a cage immediately, liberating her in about 
forty-eight hours. 

Another means of keeping swarms separate is the 
" swarm-catcher," made by covering a frame with fine net- 
ting, to be set before the hive when the swarm is issuing. 
But as it seems to keep back part of the swarm, and is al- 
so oj)en to other objections, I have laid it aside. 



SWARMING. 173 

SWARMS SOMETIMES RETURN. 

Occasionally a swarm will issue, and in a few minutes 
return to the old stock. The most common cause is the 
inability of the old queen to fly, on account of her burden 
of eggs, or old age. I have sometimes, after the swarm 
had returned, found the queen near the hive, and put her 
back ; and the next day she would come out again, and 
fly without difficulty, probably having discharged some of 
her eggs. 

They are more apt to return in windy weather, or when 
the sun is partially obscured by clouds. About three- 
fourths 'of such swarms will not re-issue until a young 
queen is matured, eight or ten days afterwards, and a few 
not at all. But when the queen returns with the swarm, 
they usually come out again the next day, but. sometimes 
not before the third or fourth day after. I have known 
a few instances, when they issued again the same day. 

Sometimes a swarm will issue and return three or four 
days in succession, but this may generally be remedied, as 
it is often owing to some inability of the queen ; and she 
may frequently be found while the swarm is leaving, out- 
side the hive, unable to fly. In such circumstances, have 
a tumbler ready and secure her as soon as she appears. 
Get the empty hive for the swarm, and a large cloth, and 
put down a bottom-board a few feet from the stock. The 
swarm is sure to come back, and the first bees that alight 
on the hive will set up the call. As soon as you perceive 
this, lose no time in setting the old stock on the board at 
one side, throwing the cloth over it to keep out the bees. 
Put the new one in its place on the stand, and the queen 
in it ; in a few minutes the swarm will be in the new 
hive, when it can be removed and the old one replaced. 
But should the swarm begin to cluster in a convenient 
place, when you have so caught the queen, by being ex- 
peditious she may be put with them, before they have 



174 SWARMING. 

missed her, and they may be hived in the usual way. 
In all cases, whether you set a new hive in place of the 
old one or not, whenever a swarm returns, if other hives 
stand near on each side, they are quite sure to receive a 
portion of the bees, probably a few hundreds, which are 
certain to be killed. To prevent this, cover them until 
the bees have gathered on their own hive. This is another 
argument in favor of plenty of room between hives. 

Should no queen be discovered during the issue or return 
of the swarm, she should be sought for in the vicinity of 
the hive, and returned if found ; and the swarm will be 
likely to issue several days earlier than if obliged to wait 
for a young queen. 

When the old queen is actually lost, and the bees have 
returned to wait for a young one, they are ready to leave 
one or two days sooner than regular second swarms. 
Whether a greater number of bees in the old hive, gener- 
ating more animal heat, matures the chrysalis queen in 
less time than a stock thinned by casting a swarm, or some 
other cause operates, I can not say. I mention it because 
I have known it to occur frequently. 

A swarm unaccompanied by a queen, is scattered more 
than usual when flying. 

In most cases where the queens are unable to fly, they 
are old, and past the age of usefulness, and it is not of 
much consequence if they are lost. They would die soon, 
in any event. 

FIRST SWARMS CHOOSE GOOD WEATHER. 

First swarms are commonly more particular in regard 
to weather than after swarms. They have several days 
from which to choose, after the royal cells are ready, and 
before the queens are matured ; and they usually select a 
fair one. But here again are exceptions. 



SWARMING. 175 

EXCEPTION'S. 

I have known first swarms to issue in a wind that kept 
every branch of tree and bush in such agitation that it was 
impossible to find any upon which they could cluster. 
After a few fruitless attempts they gave it up, and came 
down on " terra firma." This occurred after several days 
of rainy weather. The next day being pleasant, many 
swarms issued, almost proving that the wind on the preced- 
ing day had kept a part of them back. I have also known 
them to issue in a shower that beat many of them to the 
ground before they could cluster. In these cases the 
shower was sudden, the sun shining almost at the moment 
it began to rain. During a long period of wet, cloudy 
weather they seem to become impatient, and come out 
quite unexpectedly — contrary to all rules. 

AFTER-SWARMS. 

After-swarms are all that issue after the first, called se- 
cond, third, etc., for convenience. They differ in their 
conduct from the first swarms, as also do some first swarms 
when the old queen has been lost, and they are led out by 
a young queen. 

THEIR SIZE. 

Second swarms are usually half as large as the first, the 
third half as large as the second, etc., with some variations. 
I give general features, noticing only the exceptions that 
occur most frequently. 

WHEN EXPECTED. 

Whenever, in a prosperous season, the first swarm is 
not kept back by foul weather, the first of the young 
queens in the old colony is ready to emerge from the cell 
in seven or eight days. The second swarm may be ex- 
pected in about two days thereafter. 



176 SWAEMING. 

PIPING OF THE QUEEN. 

On the morning of that day, or the evening previous, by 
putting your ear close to the hive, and listening attentive- 
ly a few minutes, you will hear a distinct piping noise like 
the word peep, uttered several times in succession, and 
followed by an interval of silence. Two or more may be 
heard at the same time ; one will be shrill and fine, another 
hoarse, short and quick. The first is made by the queen 
that has left her cell, the other by one or more that have 
matured, but are kept in the cells by the workers, after 
they have made an opening for their exit. The difference 
in the sound is j)robably caused by their wings being 
cramped by the walls of the cells. They are so little dis- 
turbed by the removal of a comb, that the piping is con- 
tinued while you are looking at the very comb upon which 
they happen to be. This piping is easily heard by any one 
not actually deaf, and there is not the least danger of its 
being mistaken for any humming ; in fact, it is not to be 
mistaken for any thing, even when it is heard for the first 
time. These notes can probably never be heard, except 
when the hive contains a plurality of queens. 

I never failed to hear it, previous to any after-swarm, 
whenever I listened. The time that the piping commences 
will be later than specified, in some colonies, if the weather 
is cool, or there are not many bees left ; it may be twelve 
or fourteen days after the first swarm.* 

Also, the swarm may not issue in two or three days af- 
ter you hear the piping. The longer the swarm delays, 
the louder will be the piping. I have heard it distinctly 
twenty feet, by listening attentively when I knew one was 
thus engaged. By putting the ear against the hive, it may 
be heard even in the middle of the day, or at any time 



* When first swarms issue before the queens in the old hive have advanced 
much, as they sometimes do, the second swarms issue from twelve to sixteen 
days afterward. 



SWAKMESTG. 177 

before the issuing of the swarm. The length of time dur- 
ing which it may be heard, seems also to be governed by 
the yield of honey ; when that is abundant, it is common 
for them to issue the next day, but when it is somewhat 
scarce, they will very often delay three or four days. In 
such instances, third swarms seldom occur. 

Piping for third swarms may usually be heard the even- 
ing after the second has left, though one day commonly 
intervenes between their issues. 

VARIATION EST TIME OF SWARMS ISSUING. 

Here my experience is at variance with many writers, 
who say there will be an interval of several days between 
second and third swarms. I do not remember of any in- 
terval of more than three days, but I have known many 
to issue in less time, several the next day, and a few on 
the same day with the second. I once had an instance 
where a swarm lost its queen, on its first sally, and re- 
turned to wait for the young ones ; when they were 
ready an uncommon number of bees was present, and three 
swarms issued in three days ! On the fourth another came 
out and returned ; the fifth day it left, making four regu- 
lar swarms in five days. On the eighth day the fifth 
swarm left. Although I had never had a fifth swarm be- 
fore, I expected this from the fact that I heard the piping 
on the evening subsequent to the fourth swarm. The 
piping continued in this hive from the evening previous to 
the first swarm, till the last one had left. 

Occasionally piping may be heard and no swarm issue. 
The bees seem to change their mind about swarming, and 
kill their queens, or allow the eldest one to destroy the 
others, as is evident from the fact that sometimes swarms 
are indicated, and none issue. When the piping continues 
over twenty-four hours, they seldom fail to swarm. 

I have known in a few instances piping to commence, 
8* 



178 SWARMING. 

while, as I supposed, the old queen was yet present, 
and had not left the hive (on account of bad weather) ; but 
a swarm issued soon after. Also, I have observed instan- 
ces of piping when I supposed the old queen lost, at a time 
when no swarm had been lead out ; and the colony reared 
young ones to supply her place. This occurred in or 
near the swarming season, and one or two issues resulted. 
One case was three weeks in advance of the season, and 
the swarm was about half the usual size. When a swarm has 
been out and returned at the last of the swarming season, 
it is much more likely to re-issue, than if it depended for 
a leader on an old queen, that had not been out. Such 
will often issue later in the season than any others. A few 
have come out as early after the first swarm, as the fourth 
or fifth day, but all these are exceptions to the general rule. 

HOW AFTER-SWARMS ISSUE. 

When after-swarms start, the appearance about the en- 
trance is altogether different from' that when first-ones 
issue, unless there is an unusual number of bees. I have 
said that for a little time beforehand such were in 
an apparent tumult, etc. But after-swarms seldom give 
any such notice. One or more of the young queens 
may sometimes be seen to run out and back several times 
in a few minutes, in a perfect frenzy, and sometimes fly a 
short distance and return before the swarm will start. 
Even after the swarm is in motion she may return and en- 
ter the hive a moment. The workers seem . more re- 
luctant to leave, than in first swarms, where a mother 
instead of a sister is leader. No doubt she finds it neces- 
sary to exert herself to induce as many as possible to leave 
with her. A person watching the issue of a second swarm 
under these circumstances, for the first time, and seeing 
the queen leave first, would very likely guess that she did 
so in all swarms. 



SWAEMIXG. 179 

NUMBER OP QUEENS. 

After-swarms sometimes have as many as six queens. 
The one containing several, is usually the last from the 
hive. When nearly all mature at once, and the workers 
keep them confined, — feeding them of course, — they be- 
come strong enough to fly, while in the cells. In the con- 
fusion of swarming, the prisoners are forgotten, and they 
come out and leave with the rest. 

DO NOT ALWAYS CHOOSE GOOD WEATHER. 

These after-swarms are not very particular about the 
weather; heavy winds, a few clouds, and sometimes a 
slight sprinkle will not always deter them. Neither are 
they very precise about the time of day. Italians will is- 
sue before six A. M. on warm mornings, and after five P. 
M., and the black bees are often nearly as much out of 
season. These things should be understood, because when 
after-swarms are expected, of which the piping will give 
warning, it behooves us to watch them in weather, and at 
times, when first ones would not venture to leave. 

THEY GO FURTHER BEFORE ALIGHTING. 

It is essential that some one sees them issue, else it is 
often diificnlt to find the cluster. They are apt to go fur- 
ther from the parent hive than others ; sometimes fifty 
rods, and then often settle in two places, high and incon- 
venient, that distance apart. Let me not be misunderstood ; 
I do not say they all do so, or even the majority, but a 
greater proportion of these swarms will do so than of the 
first. 

If they cluster in two places, a queen may be in each, and 
they will remain, and when you have hived one part, you 
may think you have them all. If one cluster is without a 
queen, they will join the other, if near; but when distant, 
they will very likely return to the old hive soon, unless 
put with the others. 



180 SWAEMESTG. 

PROPRIETY OF RETURNING THEM. 

Much has been said about returning all after-swarms to 
the old stock. The advantages will depend on the time of 
issuing, the yield of honey, etc. It would be unusual to 
have many after-swarms without a liberal yield of honey 
for the time being, but the continuation of the supply is 
uncertain. If honey continues plentiful, second and even 
third swarms, if early, may be hived, and prosper. The 
apiarian here needs judgment and experience. 

It is always best, if possible, to have good strong fam- 
ilies. When after-swarms are late, it is safest to return 
them, as the old colony will need them to replenish the 
hive, and prepare for winter. Also, it will be less infested 
with worms when well provided with bees, and there are 
more "chances of obtaining box-honey. But the process of 
returning such, requires some patience and perseverance. 
I have said that there maybe a dozen young queens in the 
old stock. Suppose that one or more leaves with the 
swarm, and you return the whole, there is nothing to pre- 
vent their leading out the swarm again the next day. 
Therefore it is policy to retain the queens. It is the least 
trouble to hive them in the usual way, and let them stand 
till the next morning. This will save you the perplexity 
of looking for more than one queen, if there should be 
more, for all but one will be destroyed by that time. 

There is a chance also for the parent hive to decide that 
no more shall issue, and allow all but one to be slain there. 
When this is the case, and you find the one with the 
swarm, you will have no further trouble. They should be 
returned as soon as the next morning, otherwise they 
might not agree, even in the old home. To return them, 
and find the queen easily, get a sheet or a wide board a few 
feet long ; let one end rest on the ground, the other near the 
entrance that they may enter the hive without flying ; shake 
the swarm out on the lower end, and they will commence 



SWABMIN-G. 181 

running up towards the hive ; the first one that discovers 
it will call the others. If they do not perceive it, which 
sometimes happens, scatter some of them near it, and they 
will soon be marching in the right direction, when you 
should look for and secure the queen, if possible. Piping, 
a few hours later, will give notice, if they intend to issue 
again. It is evident, if these directions are followed, that 
they cannot issue many times before their stock of royalty 
will be exhausted ; and when but one queen remains, the 
piping will cease, and trouble be at an end. 

To prevent these after-swarms, some writers recom- 
mend turning the hive over, and cutting out all the royal 
cells but one. This I have found impracticable with most 
stocks. Some of the cells are too near the top to be seen, 
consequently this cannot always be depended upon. 

It is somewhat difficult to give a rule for returning these 
swarms. If I should say return all that issue after June 
20th, some seasons might be so late, that a second swarm 
issuing July 10th might fill the hive and winter well, 
while in others the first swarms in June might fail to get 
enough. Also, June 20th in the latitude of New York 
City, is as late as July 4th farther north. 

In sections where Buckwheat is raised to any extent, 
late swarms do more towards filling their hives, than where 
that is not an important crop. 

THE MOTH WORM TROUBLES SMALL COLONIES. 

Should it be thought best to hive after-swarms, and risk 
the chances, they should receive a little extra attention, 
after the first week or two, in destroying the worms ; a 
little timely care may prevent considerable injury. They 
are apt to construct more comb in proportion to the num- 
ber of bees, than others; consequently, such combs cannot 
be properly covered and protected. The moth has an op- 



182 swarming. 

portunity to deposit her eggs on tliein, and will sometimes 
entirely destroy them. 



Whenever these swarms issue near enough together, it 
is best to unite them. I have said that second swarms 
were generally half as large as the first. By this rule, 
two second swarms or four third, or one second and two 
third would contain as many as one first swarm ; if the first 
and second are of ordinary size, I think it advisable al- 
ways to return the third. But in large apiaries, it is com- 
mon for them to issue without any previous warning, just 
as a first swarm is leaving, and crowd themselves into their 
company, seeming to be as much at home, as if they were 
equally respectable. 

MORE TROUBLE. 

When two or more of these after-swarms are united, they 
are apt to be much more troublesome than others. The bees 
of each swarm are strangers to the queens belonging to the 
others. Bees usually make it a rule when coming in con- 
tact with a strange queen, while their own is present, to 
imprison her, as before described. So many of the bees 
observe this practice that every queen is soon surrounded. 
Directly some of the bees want their own queen, and can- 
not find her ; forthwith consternation prevails throughout 
the hive. They run to and fro, fly out and return, set up 
the call for a moment, then perhaps return to some of the 
mother stocks ; or if by chance there is a newly hived 
swarm in the yard, that behaves decently, they will join 
that and get up an excitement there, just because they are 
in trouble at home. When there is but one queen, and she 
is at liberty, she has not the sedate majesty of her mother, 
but seems often to be elated with her position. She will 
sometimes fly off and return, at others go back to the 



SWARMING. 183 

mother stock when the swarm will follow, and the experi- 
ment come to a very unsatisfactory termination. Perhaps 
those that behave so foolishly, have so recently entered 
society, that they do not know what course of conduct is 
becoming to them. Whenever they behave in this man- 
ner, it is well to confine the bees to the hive — giving them 
air — and keep them prisoners a clay or two, until thorough- 
ly sobered. Then if they are without a queen, give them 
one, or the means of rearing one. 



It may be accepted as a rule, that all after-swarms must 
be out by the eighteenth day after the first. I never found 
an exception, unless it may be considered as such when a 
swarm leaves, seven or eight weeks after the first. But 
these I consider rather in the light of first swarms, as they 
issue under similar circumstances, leaving the combs hi the 
old hive filled with brood, queen cells finished, etc. A 
hive may cast swarms in June, and a buckwheat-swarm in 
August, on the same principle. 

Therefore, bee-keepers having but few hives, will find it 
useless to watch their bees, when the last of the first 
swarms came out sixteen or eighteen days before. Much 
trouble may be thus saved by a little knowledge of facts. 
Dining my early days in bee-keeping, I was anxious for 
the greatest possible increase of stocks. I had some that 
had cast a first swarm, and soon after, clustered out again. 
I watched them vainly for weeks and months, expecting 
another swarm. But, had I understood the " modus oper- 
andi" as the reader may now understand it, my anxiety as 
well as watching, would have been at an end in a fortnight. 
As it was, it lasted two months. I found no one to give 
me any fight on the subject, or even tell me when the 
swarming season was over, and I came very near watching 
all summer! 



184 SWAEMING. 



ONE QUEEN DESTROYS OTHERS. 



When it is decided in family council, that no more 
swarms are to issue, all but one of the queens are destroy- 
ed. It is probable that the oldest and strongest dispatches 
the others, while in the cells, or allows them to issue, and 
take a fair fight. 

When rearing Italian queens in the small boxes, it is usu- 
al to have half a dozen queen-cells on a very small piece 
of comb. To save these from destruction, all but one must 
be cut out before any hatch. If the brood given them is 
just the right age — about four days old — a queen will 
hatch in ten days, and if the others are not removed, the 
first one that hatches, makes it her business to destroy the 
rest. I have often caught them when just out of their own 
cell, at work at the others. The younger sisters in help- 
less confinement are slaughtered without mercy. An 
opening is bitten into the royal cell, and the fatal sting in- 
flicted in the abdomen of the defenceless queen. 

If quick and spiteful movements are any indication of 
hatred, it is here very plainly manifested. The bees en- 
large the opening and drag out the dead queens. 

It is probable that all swarming hives manage in this 
way when it is decided to send out no more swarms, as we 
find numbers of dead queens about the entrance just at 
this time; and this may generally be taken as evidence 
that swarming is over in such hive for the season. Should 
the stock send out but one swarm, the dead queens may 
be found about the time, or a little before, you would 
listen for the piping. 

Whenever hives containing swarms are full, or nearly so, 
boxes should be put on without delay, unless the honey 
season is so nearly over that it is unnecessary. 



ARTIFICIAL S WARMS. 185 



CHAPTER XI. 



ARTIFICIAL SWARMS. 

Artificial swarms are those which, are made by driving 
or dividing. The utility of such swai^ms will depend 
greatly on the circumstances of the bee-keeper ; the time 
that he has to attend to regular swarms, and his general 
knowledge of the subject. There are advantages as well 
as disadvantages. There is not much difference between 
the labor of maldng artificial swarms, and of hiving regu- 
lar issues. If I were sure of but one issue from a hive, 
and could always attend to the hiving without particular 
inconvenience, I would prefer natural swarms. But when 
we depend on these, and perhaps feel particularly anxious 
for them to issue, some will pertinaciously adhere to the 
old stock through the whole swarming season. When we 
have but few hives, and are particularly anxious to increase 
the number, this indifference to our wishes is very annoy- 
ing. The other extreme — over swarming — is often still 
more vexatious. 



PERPLEXITIES. 



There are likewise some perplexities with artificial 
swarms. We do not always take out the requisite num- 
ber, or we get too great a proportion of old or young bees, 
and when they are thus improperly divided, they do not 
always work well at first. One writer says, "artificial 
swarms, so called, I do not approve of at all, they do not 
work like the others." I cannot imagine why he should 
have failed, unless there was a lack of the requisite number 
of workers in all the departments, such as nurses, wax- 
workers and gatherers. Whether there is an organic dis- 
tinction in the bees that fill these stations, or only tempor- 
ary details for the purpose, I shall not express an opinion. 



186 -ARTIFICIAL SWARMS. 

I know that very young bees act as nurses, but I presume, 
that as they grow older, they will, if they have an ordinary 
share of energy, go abroad and collect honey and pollen. 

WORK WELL. 

Artificial swarms do work just as well as natural ones, 
as a general rule. In -fact I never had one, that I thought 
was less industrious, because of the manner in which it 
was made. 

If you wish to be sure of an annual increase, it will be 
necessary to take the matter in part in your own hand, and 
make each hive spare a swarm that is in condition to do so. 
When this is decided upon prompt action is necessary. 

DO IT IN SEASON. 

It will not do to " wait and see if they don't swarm," 
and then do it, and then if they do not fill the hive and 
store as much surplus as a natural swarm hived four 
weeks sooner, attribute it to the manner of making the 
colony. Do it in season, or not at all. Also, it is import- 
ant that a swarm is not taken at any time, unless the 
colony is abundantly able to spare it. The ability to de- 
cide this point requires much observation and experience. 
It should always be done when there is plenty of honey, 
unless you expect to feed, and it is usually safer to perform 
the operation during the swarming season. Without these 
conditions it is much better to postpone artificial increase 
till another year. 

MY FIRST EXPERIENCE. 

My first experience in making artificial swarms, and in 
raising queens was not very encouraging. But by comply- 
ing a little more with the natural requirements of the bee, 
I have since succeeded satisfactorily. It is stated by 
nearly every writer, that whenever a colony of bees pos- 
sessing eggs or young larvae is deprived of its queen, they 



ARTIFICIAL SWABMS. 187 

will not fail to. rear another. This may be taken as a rule, 
but there are exceptions. The first experiments that I 
made in this line, came very near proving to me that the 
exceptions formed the rule. Very soon after I began to 
keep bees, when I had but few stocks, and was anxious to 
increase the number, I was perplexed with the failure of 
some hives to swarm, notwithstanding they were well sup- 
plied with bees, and exhibited the usual indication, such as 
clustering out, etc. Others, apparently not so well sup- 
plied with bees, threw off swarms. Taking the assertions 
of these authors for facts, I reasoned thus : In all prob- 
ability there is plenty of eggs and brood in each of those 
stocks. Why not drive out a portion of the bees with the 
old queen, and leave about as many as if a swarm had is- 
sued ? Those left will then raise a queen, and continue the 
old stock, and I shall double the number. On examination, 
I found eggs and larvas, and accordingly divided them. 
Of course, all must be right. Now, thought I, my stocks 
can be doubled, at least annually. If they do not swarm, 
I can drive them. 

My swarms prospered, the old stock seemed industrious, 
bringing in pollen in abundance, which, at that time, was 
conclusive evidence that they had a queen, or soon would 
have. I continued to watch them with much interest, but 
somehow, after a few weeks, there did not seem to be as 
many bees in the old hives ; a few days later, I was quite 
positive of it. I examined the combs and behold ! There 
was not a cell containing a young bee of any age, nor even 
an egg in any of these old stocks. My visions of future 
increase by this means, speedily disappeared about this 
time. 

My new swarms, it is true, were in condition for winter, 
although not full; but the old ones were not, and nothing 
was gained. I had some honey and a great deal of bee- 
bread and old black comb. Had I let them alone and put 



188 ARTIFICIAL SWARMS. 

on boxes, I should, probably have obtained twenty-five or 
thirty pounds of pure honey from each ; besides, the old 
stocks, even with old comb, would have been better sup- 
plied with both honey and bees, and altogether much bet- 
ter stocks for wintering. Here was an important loss, 
arising simply from ignorance. 

I looked the bees over carefully, and ascertained to a 
certainty that none of them had a queen. The few bees 
left, I smothered in the fall. I then knew of no better 
way. I had been told that the barbarous use of "fire and 
brimstone" was part of the " luck" — that a more benevo- 
leut system would cause them " to run out," etc. I can- 
not, to this day, account for my want of success. Since 
then, I have succeeded nineteen times in twenty, under 
circumstances, apparently precisely similar. 

The swarming season is certainly the best time, as then 
most of the stocks are constructing these cells, preparatory 
to swarming, and there can hardly be a failure with the 
method recommended. But I shall advise furnishing the 
old stock with a queen before they can raise one, either 
by giving them a cell ready to hatch, or a laying queen. 
It is very plain that a queen from a finished cell must be 
ready to deposit eggs several days sooner, than one which 
is raised in the hive, after the necessity for one exists. 

It is also clear, if we have a dozen queens depositing 
eggs by June 10th, that our bees are increasing faster on 
the whole, than if but half that number are engaged in it 
for a month later. There is yet another advantage. The 
sooner a young queen can take the place of the old one in 
maternal duties the less time will be lost in breeding, the 
more bees there will be to defend the combs from the 
moth, and the sooner the guarantee for surplus honey. 

HOW TO MAKE ARTIFICIAL SWARMS. 

When you are all ready, take a stock that can spare a 
swarm ; if bees are on the outside, raise the hive on 



ARTIFICIAL SWARMS. 189 

wedges, sprinkle them with a little water to drive them in, 
and disturb them gently with a stick. Now smoke and 
invert it, setting an empty hive over. If the two hives 
are of one size, and have been made by a workman, there 
will be no chance for the bees to escape, except through 
the holes in the side, these you will stop. With a light 
hammer or stick strike the hive a few times lightly, and let 
it remain five minutes. This is very essential, as it allows 
the bees to fill themselves with honey. All regular swarms 
go forth so laden. A supply is necessary when bad 
weather soon follows. The amount of honey carried out 
of a stock by a good swarm, together with the weight of 
the bees, (which, ia not much,) varies from" five to eight 
pounds. 

When the bees have filled their sacks, proceed to drive 
them into the upper hive, by striking the lower one rapid- 
ly from five to ten minutes. A loud humming will mark 
then- first movement. When you think half or two-thirds 
are <jj «t, raise the hive and make an examination. They 
are not at all disposed to sting in this stage of the proceed- 
ing, even when they escape outside. If full of honey, 
they are seldom provoked to resentment. The only care 
necessary, is not to crush too many between the edges of 
the hives. The loud buzzing is no sign of anger. If your 
swarm is not large enough, continue to drive until it is. 
When done, the new hive should be set on the stand of 
the old one. A few minutes will decide whether you have 
the queen with the swarm, as they will remain quiet if she 
is present ; but if she is not, they will be uneasy and run 
about, when it will be necessary to drive again. 

MANNER OF PLACING THE STANDS. 

If both hives are one color, set the old one two feet in 
front, but if of different colors, a little farther. This is 
for the box hives. 



190 ARTIFICIAL SWARMS. 

If there is plenty of room, the two hives can be set each 
side of the old stand, about one foot from it. As this 
should be performed in the middle of the day, you should 
set an empty hive, resembling the old one, on the stand, 
to catch the bees returning from work during the opera- 
tion. After the hives are in their proper places, the bees 
in this temporary hive should be shaken out before them. 
The hive that receives the most of the returning bees 
should be set a little farther from the old stand, and the 
other a little nearer, until they enter in equal numbers, or 
this method maybe adopted. When the hive to be divid- 
ed was set so far from all others in the spring, that return- 
ing bees will not enter neighboring hives, you may leave 
the old hive on its own stand, and place a new one for the 
swarm, three feet from it, on one side. When the bees 
are divided, put the old hive in the cellar for a few days, 
until all the bees belonging to the new hive have become 
habituated to it, when the old hive may be returned to its 
own stand, and all the bees that are in it, will of course 
adhere. 

INTRODUCING QUEEN-CELL. 

Before you turn over the old stock, look as far as possi- 
ble among the combs, for queen-cells; if any contain 
larvae, you may leave them to rear a queen ; but if other- 
wise, wait twenty-four hours, and then go to a stock that 
has cast a swarm, or to one of the little queen-boxes and 
obtain a finished royal cell, and introduce it. When there 
are young queens in the cells at the time of driving, after- 
swarms may issue. Should a queen-cell be introduced im- 
mediately, it is more liable to be destroyed than after an 
interval of twenty-four hours, and even then, it is not 
always safe. After it has had time to hatch, which is not 
far from eight days after being sealed, cut it out, and ex- 
amine it : if the lower end is open, it indicates that a per- 



ARTIFICIAL SWARMS. 191 

feet queen has left it, and all is right ; but if it is mutilated 
or open at the side, it is probable that the queen was de- 
stroyed before maturity, in which case it will be necessary 
to give them another cell. 

OPERATION WITH MOVEABLE COMBS — EAST. 

It is much more pleasant to operate with the movable 
combs than with the common hive. To divide, you have 
only to get an empty hive of the same size as the one you 
wish to divide. Place your stands one on each side of the 
old one, with the hives upon them. Begin two or three frames 
from the one you design taking out first, by moving them 
away from it a little, then take hold of each end and raise 
it carefully, without striking the ends or other frames. 
When the ends of the frame rest on the rabbeting of the 
hive, the bees seal them fast with propolis. A small chisel 
or bit of iron will be necessary with which to pry them 
loose. Loosen all, before lifting out any. The bees resent 
a slight jar during this operation more than the removal 
of the frames, and will need a little more smoke to quiet 
them. Take out just half the combs with the bees at- 
tached, and put them into the empty hive. If you have no 
empty combs, fill out each hive with empty frames. See 
that the bees enter them equally. This may be regulated 
in the same manner as with the box-hive. 

ONE DIVISION WILL MAKE DRONE COMB. 

The division, containing the queen, will, if they are ob- 
taining honey, commence worker-combs ; the other, will 
commence drone combs, and at the same time will be likely 
to make queen-cells on the old combs. The absence of a 
queen may be ascertained by these indications. Should 
the one with the queen contain queen-cells, started before 
the division, there might not be any combs made, and a 
swarm would be quite sure to issue as soon as any cells 



192 



ARTIFICIAL SWARMS. 



were finished. 
a divided hive. 



I once had three swarms from each half of 



TOO MANY DRONE COMBS FOR PROFIT. 

It would be well to ascertain as soon as the next day 
which half has the queen, and take off any cells begun in 
her apartment. In the other hive, before they have 
hatched a queen, they will make altogether too many drone 
combs for profit, in a stock-hive. 

The honey now stored in these combs is in bad shape, 
and unless wanted for home consumption, some measures 
should be taken to have it in suitable shape for market. 
To cut them out, and transfer to the surplus boxes is at- 
tended with much trouble and some waste. I prefer to 
have it made directly in the boxes by the bees. But as 
they will not now go to the top of the hive to fill boxes, 
I put them inside in this way. 

HONEY MADE IN BOXES IN THE HIVE. 

Put a cross-piece some two inches wide in the centre of 
the frame and an- 
other at the bot- 
tom, thus. — Set on 
these, boxes of the 
usual size, with the 
glass removed on 
the side, next the 
comb and bees. 
The guide-combs 
should be put in 
parallel with the 
other combs, else 
they might be worked fast to them. If your hive is of 
the right size, you will have no difficulty, but if too shal- 
low, as most movable comb hives are, it may be necessary 
to make surplus boxes for the purpose. 




Fig. 21.— FRAME TO HOLD BOXES INSIDE THE 
HIVE. 



ARTIFICIAL SWARMS. 193 

My hives happened to be of the right size — when made 
without reference to this process. They should be twelve 
inches wide, admitting frames 11x18 ; box about six inches 
by five deep. The boxes should be wedged firmly in the 
frame. These, with the frame, will, when properly ad- 
justed, fill one-half the hive, and the four frames with 
combs, the other half. The open side of the box allows 
the bees to work with the.: same facility as in making addi- 
tional combs in the hive. There is no danger of finding 
brood in them ; and the labor expended is in a profitable 
direction. 

BOXES TRANSFERRED AND FINISHED ON ANOTHER HIVE. 

When the young queen is mature, and commences lay- 
ing, they should be removed. If not full, and the colony 
is strong, put them on the top, and the bees will remain and 
finish them. But if the colony is weak, they will leave to 
work below, when they should be transferred to some 
other hive to be finished. 

TIME FOR QUEEN TO LAY EGGS. 

The young queen will make her appearance on the 
twelfth day from the time the division is made ; in eight 
days more she will commence laying. This is the rule, 
but exceptions are frequent. If you wish to use the sur- 
plus queen-cells that will probably be made, for other divi- 
sions, or any purpose, they should be taken out by the 
tenth day. The queen first hatched sometimes destroys 
them all by that time. When all goes well, the queen 
should be laying in three weeks. Eggs in the cells at that 
time indicate her presence. When a queen-cell can be 
given to the half, destitute of a queen, the young queen is 
ready to lay several days earlier. When a laying queen 
can be introduced, there is an average gain of from ten to 
fourteen days. 
9 



194 ARTIFICIAL SWARMS. 

I will give another method of dividing with movable 
combs, which some may prefer to adopt. 

Remove one frame containing brood comb, with the 
bees that happen to be on it, together with the queen, to 
an enrpty hive and place it on the old stand, setting the 
old stock four feet to one side. Fill out the new hive with 
empty frames. Most of the bees will come to this stand, 
but enough will usually remain in the old hive, in addition 
to the brood that hatches out, to keep it in a prosperous 
condition. The frames should be moved together, and the 
vacancy made by the removal, filled by an empty frame at 
the outside. The hive being full of combs, they will not 
construct new. They may be furnished with a queen-cell 
as before directed. The objection to this method is their 
occasional disposition to swarm out. 

When the trouble is no great obstacle, and it is desired 
to increase the stocks to the utmost, without regard to 
surplus honey, perhaps more good swarms may be made, 
by having the breeding hive rather large, and keeping the 
old queen at home, continually supplying the combs with 
eggs. If she is usually prolific, a swarm of more than 
20,000 bees may be taken out every three or four weeks. 
Take out the combs, shake off and get into an empty 
hive all the bees proper to spare, and return the old queen. 
Give them a mature queen in a wire-cloth cage, as describ- 
ed in Chap. xxiv. Confine the bees a few hours, and 
remove at least a mile. The queen may be liberated 
after three or four days. Her presence will generally pre- 
vent much drone-comb from being built. If any comb of 
the old hive becomes filled with honey, it should at once 
be removed and replaced with an empty one, as it will oc- 
cupy room that should be used for brood. The advantage 
of this plan is, that all the combs of the parent hive, are 
maturing bees throughout the season, and there is no loss 
of time, as for some weeks in swarming hives. 



LOSS OF QUEENS. 195 



CHAPTER XII. 

LOSS OF QUEENS. 

If all my readers were keeping bees in the niovable- 
comVhive, I should have out little to say in this Chapter, 
but as the box-hive will yet be used, it will be necessary 
to give directions accordingly. 

WHEN LOST BY SWARMS. 

Swarms that lose their queens in the first few hours af- 
ter being hived, generally return to the parent stock; 
sometimes unite with some other. If much time has elapsed 
before the loss, they remain, unless standing on a bench 
with another. On a separate stand, they continue their 
labor, but a large swarm diminishes rapidly, and seldom 
fills an ordinary hive. 

DKONE COMB. 

A singular phenomenon attends a swarm that is con- 
structing combs, without a queen. I have never seen it 
noticed by any one, and it may not always be the case, but 
I have so found it in every instance that has come under 
my notice. That is, four-fifths of the comb is composed 
of drone-cells ; why they thus construct them is a subject 
for speculation, from which I will endeavor in this instance 
to refrain.* 

SPECULATION. 

It has been suggested as a profitable speculation " to 
hive a large swarm without a queen, and give them a piece 
of brood-comb containing eggs, to rear one, and as soon 



* The above was written 12 years ago. About the same time, Mr. Langstroth 
noticed the same fact, in his work, and it is now pretty generally known, but not 
yet explained. 



196 LOSS OF QUEENS. 

as it is matured, deprive them of it, giving them another 
piece of comb, and continue it throughout the summer, 
putting on boxes for surplus honey. There being no brood 
to consume any honey, no time will be lost, or taken to 
nurse them, and as a consequence, they will be enabled to 
store large quantities of surplus honey." 

This appears very plausible, and to an inexperienced per- 
son somewhat conclusive. If success depended on some 
animal whose lease of life was a little longer, it would an- 
swer better to calculate in this way. But as a bee (the 
queen excepted) seldom sees the anniversary of its birth- 
day, and most of them perish in a few weeks or months, 
it is bad economy. It will be found that the largest 
amounts of surplus honey are obtained from the prolific 
stocks. Therefore, it is all important that every swai'm 
and stock has a queen to repair this constant loss of bees. 

DISPUTED QUESTION. 

We now approach a disputed point in natural history, 
relative to the queen leaving at any time, except when 
leading out a swarm. Most writers say that the young 
queen leaves the hive, and meets the drone on the wing. 
Others positively deny this, having watched a whole sum- 
mer without seeing her leave. Consequently, they have 
arrived at the very plausible, and apparently consistent 
conclusion, that nature never intended it to be so, since it 
must happen at a time when the existence of the whole 
family depends entirely on the life of the queen. The 
stock at such times contains no eggs or larvae, from which 
to rear another, if she should be lost. " The chances at 
such times of being devoured by birds, blown away by the 
winds, and other casualties, are too many, and it is not 
probable the Creator would have so arranged it." But 
facts are stubborn things ; they will not yield one jot to 
favor the most " finely spun theory ;" they are most pro- 



LOSS OF QUEENS. 197 

vokingly obstinate, many times. "When one takes a survey 
of animated nature, and finds that male and female are 
usually about equal in number, he is ready, and often does 
conclude that a single bee among thousands can not be the 
only one capable of reproduction or depositing eggs. The 
idea, to him, is preposterous! i And yet, only a little obser- 
vation will upset this apparently consistent reasoning. So 
it seemed to be very inconsistent that the young queens 
should leave the hive, but I was compelled, though reluc- 
tantly, to admit it. That this purpose is, to meet the 
drones, cannot at present be contradicted. Also, that 
when the queen is once impregnated, it is operative for life. 
She is never detected coming out again for that purpose. 

A MULTITUDE OF DRONES NEEDED. 

What then is the use of the ten thousand drones that 
never fulfill this important duty ? It seems indeed like a 
useless expenditure of labor and honey for each stock to 
rear thousands, when perhaps, but one, sometimes not any, 
of the whole number is of any use. If the risk is great in 
the queen's leaving, we find it admirably arranged that it 
shall not be too frequent. 

Instinct teaches the bees to make the matters left to 
them, as sure as possible. When they want one queen, 
they raise half a dozen. If one drone, or only half a 
dozen were reared, the chances of the queen meeting one 
in the air, would be very much reduced. But when a 
thousand are in the air, the chances are a thousand times 
multiplied. If a stock casts a swarm, a young queen must 
be impregnated and return safely, or the stock is lost. 
Every time she leaves, there is one chance in about twelve 
of her not returning. If the number of drones were any 
less than it is, she would have to repeat her excursions, till 
successful. As it is, some have to leave several times. 
The chances and consequences of loss are so great, that 



198 LOSS OF QUEENS. 

on the whole, it is no doubt better to rear a thousand un- 
necessarily, than to lack one in time of need. Therefore, 
let us be content with the present arrangement, inasmuch 
as we could not better it, and probably, should we try, 
would " so fix the thing that it would not go at all." 

But what is the use of drones in hives that do not 
swarm, and do not intend to do so, as in very large ones, 
or those situated in a large room ? In such circumstances 
they seldom produce swarms, yet as regularly as the return 
of the summer, a brood of drones appears. What are they 
for ? Suppose the old queen in such hive dies, leaving eggs 
or young larvae, and a young queen is reared to supply her 
place. How is she to be impregnated without the drones ? 
Perhaps they are taught that whenever they can afford it 
they should have some on hand to be ready for an emer- 
gency. I have already said that when bees are numerous, 
and honey abundant, they never fail to provide them. A 
crippled queen hived with a swarm, or even in an old stock, 
is generally replaced by one that is perfect, within a month 
or two. 

WHEN THE LOSS OCCURS. 

Whenever I have witnessed this excursion of the queen, 
it has taken place a little after the middle of the clay, when 
the drones were out in the greatest numbers. At such 
times^ there is rather more than usual commotion among 
the workers. I have watched their return — their absence 
varying from three minutes to half an hour — and have seen 
them hover around their own hive, apparently in doubt 
whether they belonged in that, or the next ; in a few in- 
stances they have actually settled on the neighboring hive, 
and would have perished there, but for my assistance. Thus 
we see that queens are lost on these occasions, from some 
cause ; and part, perhaps most of them, by entering the 
wrong hive ; if so, it is another good reason for not setting 



LOSS OF QUEENS. 199 

hives too closely together. The hives are very often nearly 
alike in color and ajDpearance, and the queen coming out 
for the first time in her life, is doubtless confused by this 
similarity. 

The average number of such losses in a season, varies : 
One year, the average was one in nine, another, one in thir- 
teen, and another, one in twenty. The time after the issuing 
of the first swarm varies from ten to twenty days. The 
inexperienced reader should not forget that these accidents 
happen in the old stocks which have cast swarms, the old 
queen having left with the first. Also, all after-swarms 
are liable to the same loss. 

I would suggest that these have abundant room given 
between the hives ; if it be necessary to pack any closely, 
let it be the first swarms, where, the queen, being old, has 
no occasion to leave. Having never seen this matter fully 
discussed, I wish to be somewhat particular, and think I 
shall be able to direct the careful apiarian how to save a 
few stocks and swarms annually. Several years ago I 
wrote an article on this subject, for an agricultural paper. 
A subscriber told me a year afterwards, that he saved two 
stocks the next summer by the information ; they were 
worth, at least five dollars each, enough to pay for his pa- 
per for years to come. 

TIME OF LEAVING VARIES. 

When a stock casts but one swarm, the queen, having 
destroyed all competitors who would interfere with her 
movements, will leave in about fourteen days, if the 
weather is fair ; but should an after-swarm leave, the oldest 
of the young queens will probably go with that. Of 
course, then, it must be later before the queen remaining 
in the old hive is ready ; it may be twenty days, or even 
more. The queens with after-swarms will leave from one 
to six days after being hived. It always will occur when 



200 LOSS OF QUEENS. 

no eggs or larvae exist, and no means left to repair the 
loss. A loss it is, and a serious one ; the bees are in as 
much trouble as their owner, and quite likely, more, as 
they seem to understand the consequences, and he is per- 
haps ignorant ; should he now for the first time learn the 
nature of it, he will at the same time understand the remedy. 

INDICATIONS OF LOSS. 

The next morning after a loss of this kind has occurred, 
and occasionally at evening, the bees may be seen running 
to and fro in the greatest consternation on the 'outside. 
Some will fly off a short distance, and return ; one will run 
to another, and then to another, still in hopes, no doubt, 
of finding their lost queen. A hive, close by on the same 
bench will probably receive a portion, and will seldom re- 
sist an accession under such circumstances. All this will 
be going on while other hives are quiet. Towards the 
middle of the day, the confusion will be less marked ; but 
the next morning it will be exhibited again, though not so 
plainly, and will cease after the third, when they be- 
come apparently reconciled to their fate. They will con- 
tinue their labors as usual, bringing in pollen and honey. 
Here I am obliged to differ with writers, who tell us that 
all labor will now cease. I hope the reader will not be de- 
ceived by supposing that the collection of pollen is an in- 
fallible indication of the presence of a queen. I can as- 
sure him it is not always the case. 



The number of bees will gradually decrease, and they 
will be gone by the early part of winter, leaving a good 
supply of honey, and an extra quantity of bee-bread, as 
before mentioned, because there has been no brood to con- 
sume it. This is the case where a large family is left at 
the time of the loss. When but few bees are left, it is 



LOSS OF QUEENS. 201 

very different ; the combs are unprotected by a covering 
of bees, the moth deposits her eggs on them, and the 
worms soon finish up the whole. The bees from the other 
stocks will generally first remove the honey. Hundreds 
of bee-keepers lose some of their stocks in this way, and 
can assign no reasonable cause. " Why," say they, " there 
wasn't twenty bees in the hive ; it was aU full of honey," 
or worms, as the case may be. « Only a short time before, 
it was full of bees ; I got three good swarms from it, and 
it always has been first-rate, but all at once the bees were 
gone. I don't understand it !" 

AGE OF BEES. 

Such bee-keepers do not understand how rapidly a fam- 
ily of bees diminishes, when there is no queen to counter- 
balance with young, this regular decrease. I doubt 
whether the largest and best family could possibly be made 
to exist more than six months, without a queen for their 
renewal, except perhaps during the winter. 

DUTY. 

As this tumult can be seen but a few days at most, it is 
well, yes, necessary to make it a duty to glance at the hive 
every morning, at this period after swarming ; a glance 
is sufficient to discover the fact. Remember to reckon 
from the date of the first issue ; this occurs when the first 
royal cells are sealed over, and is the best criterion by 
which to judge when the queen will leave. 

REMEDY. 

When a loss is discovered, first ascertain if there is any 
after-swarm to be expected from another stock, by listen- 
ing for the piping; if so , wait till it issues, and obtain a 
queen from that, for your stock. Even if there is but one, 
take it, and let the bees return ; they will probably come 
9* 



202 LOSS OE QUEENS. 

out again the next day, if they do not, it is very often no 
great loss. Should no such swarm be indicated, go to a 
stock that has cast a first swarm within a week, smoke it, 
and turn it over, as before directed, find a royal cell, and 
cut it out, being careful not to injure it. This must 
now be secured in the other hive, in such a position that 
the lower end will be free from any obstacle, which will 
interfere with the egress of the queen. It will make 
but little difference whether at the top or bottom, if it 
be secure from falling, and can be kept warm by the bees. 
I generally introduce it through a hole in the top, taking 
care to find one that will allow the cell to pass down be- 
tAveen two combs. Being largest at the upper end, the 
combs each side will sustain it, and leave the lower end 
free. In a few hours the bees will secure it permanently 
to the combs with wax. This operation cannot be per- 
formed in a chamber hive, as it is impossible to see the ar- 
rangement of the combs through the holes. To put it in 
at the bottom is more trouble. The difficulty is, to fasten 
it, and prevent its resting on the end. It may be done as 
follows. Take a piece of old tough comb an inch square. 
Make a hole through the centre large enough to receive 
the cell, turn up the hive, and spread two combs far enough 
apart to receive the piece between them, which arrange- 
ment will secure it from falling. 

The bees will become quiet, soon after such cell is intro- 
duced. It will hatch in a few days, and they will have a 
queen as perfect as if it had been one of their own rearing. 
This queen, of course, will be under the necessity of leav- 
ing the hive, and will be just as liable to be lost as others, 
but no more so, and must be watched as carefully. 

It is unnecessary to look for a cell in a stock that has cast its 
first swarm more than a week before, as they are generally 
destroyed in that time, sometimes, in less, unless they in- 
tend to send out an after-swarm. When artificial, or lay- 



LOSS OF QUEERS. 203 

ing-queens are kept on hand, no one need be told to intro- 
duce such a one at once. 

MARK DATE OF SWARM. 

Should the apiary contain so many stocks that it is diffi- 
cult to remember the date of each swarm, it is a good plan 
to mark it on one side or corner of the hive, as the swarms 
issue. It will thus be easy to tell where to look for a cell. 

OTHER REMEDIES. 

It will sometimes happen that a queen is lost at the ex- 
treme end of the swarming season, when no stock contains 
such cells, and no queen is at hand. In such a case, it is 
often economy to take a queen from the most inferior stock 
on hand, and sacrifice it to save the queenless one. If no 
poor colony is at hand, drive the bees out of one of the 
best, secure the queen, and return the bees. They will 
raise another, and the damage will be less than to lose the 
queenless stock. The strong one will recover, but the 
other needs a queen, at once, and cannot afford to take 
time to raise one. Therefore I would recommend intro- 
ducing a mature queen whenever it is practicable. "When 
all the brood in the combs is hatched, and the bees are 
obliged to commence with an egg to raise a queen, there 
can be no young bees added to the colony short of six 
weeks, by which time, most such would be beyond recov- 
ery. Sometimes after all our efforts, a few stocks will re- 
main destitute of queens. These, if they escape the worms, 
will generally store honey enough, in this section, to winter 
a good colony. This must be introduced of course, from 
another hive containing a queen, but this belongs to Fall 
Management. 

INDICATIONS OF LOSS IN EARLY SPRING. 

Occasionally, a queen is lost, at other than the swarming 
season, averaging about one in forty cases. It is most fre- 



204 LOSS OF QUEENS. 

quent in spring, at least, it is generally discovered then. 
The queen may die in winter, and the bees give no indica- 
tions of it until they come out in spring. Occasionally, 
they may all desert the hive, and join another. If we ex- 
pect to ascertain when a queen is lost at this season, we 
must notice them just before dark on the first warm days, 
because the mornings are apt to be too cool for any bees 
to be outside ; any unusual stir or commotion, similar to 
what has been described, indicates the loss. This is the 
most difficult time of the year to provide the remedy, un- 
less there should happen to be some very poor stock con- 
taining a queen, that we might lose any way, which it 
would be judicious to sacrifice to save the other, especially 
if the latter contains all the requisites of a good stock, ex- 
cept a queen. As soon as drones appear, it would do to 
take a queen from a strong stock, as just mentioned. In 
such a case, the movable comb hive is an advantage. 
Combs from some full hive containing considerable brood, 
occasionally introduced into a queenless one, will be a great 
help to the colony, and keep it in a thriving condition, un- 
til a queen can be procured. They will probably raise 
one immediately on receiving the brood, but if it be too 
long before there are drones, she will prove a drone queen, 
and must be destroyed, and another substituted. If empty 
combs can be supplied to the hive from which such brood 
combs are taken, scarcely any difference will be observed 
in their prosperity. 

Thus far in my experience with the Italians, I have ob- 
served that they seldom lose their queens. 



PRUNING. 205 



CHAPTER XIII. 

PRUNING. 
This chapter, like some others, would be useless, were it 
not that the box hive is yet much in use. 

SELDOM NECESSARY. 

The apiarian whose main object is profit, will firfd that 
pruning is desirable much less often than the patent ven- 
der recommends, and in sections where foul brood exists, 
it is very seldom necessary. Yet many will like to know 
how it should be clone. 

THE TIME. 

The time at which it should be performed, is of some 
importance. The month of March has been recommended 
by many, others prefer April, August or September. 

Here, as usual, I shall differ from them all, preferring 
still another period, for which I offer my reasons, suppos- 
ing of course, that the reader is conscious of a freeman's 
privilege of choosing whatever time or method he thinks 
proper, in this, as in other matters There is but one pe- 
riod from February till October, when prosperous stocks 
are free from young brood in the combs. If combs are 
taken out when thus occupied, there must be a loss of all 
the young bees they contain. The old queen leaves with 
the first swarm ; all the eggs she leaves in the worker-cells 
will be matured in about twenty-one days ; hence this is 
evidently the best time to prune the old combs with the 
least waste. A few unhatched drones will be found in the 
cells, but they are of no account. Also, a few very young 
larvae and some eggs may sometimes be found, the product 
of the young queens ; these must be wasted, but as the 
bees have expended no labor upon them, it is better to sa- 



206 PRUNING. 

crifice them than the greater number left by her mother, 
which have consumed their portion of food, and have been 
sealed up by the bees. Should this operation be postponed 
more than three weeks, the young queen will so fill the 
combs again, as to involve a serious loss. Therefore, I 
wish to urge the necessity of attention to this point at the 
proper season. If you think it unimportant to mark the 
date of your first swarms, for the purposes mentioned else- 
where, it will be found very convenient here, for those 
that need pruning. 

It is recommended by some, to take out only a part, say 
one-third or half of the combs in a season, thereby' taking 
two or three years to renew them. This is advisable only 
when the family is very small. As this space made by 
pruning cannot be 'filled without wax and labor, our sur- 
plus honey will be proportionate to its extent: Suppose 
we take out half the old combs, and get half a yield of 
surplus honey this year, and do the same next, or 
complete the operation, and have none this year, and a full 
yield next. What is the difference? There is none 
in regard to honey, but some in trouble, and it is in 
favor of performing the whole operation at once. Besides 
the advantage of saving a large brood by pruning at this 
season, such hives will usually refill before fall, and are 
much better for wintering, than if done later in the season.. 
In the latter case, much brood will be wasted, and a large 
space will be unoccupied with combs during the winter. 
But few combs can then be made, and those few must be at 
the expense of their winter stores, unless we resort to 
feeding. These objections apply with still greater force to 
priming in March or April. The loss of brood is of much 
more consequence then, than in mid-summer, or even later; 
and a space to be filled with combs is a serious disadvan- 
tage. It is important that the bees should devote their 
whole attention to rearing brood, and be ready to cast 



PRUNING. 207 

their swarms as early as possible. One early swarm is 
worth two late ones. 

DIFFICULTY IN DRIVING IN COOL WEATHER. 

Further, it will he found much more difficult to drive 
the bees out of a hive in the cool weather of March or 
April, than in summer, as they seem unwilling to leave 
their warm quarters and go into a cold hive. The first 
thing necessary, is to get rid of the bees, and the operation 
of pruning is performed much quicker when they are driven 
out in the outset. If there are not bees enough in the 
hive to interfere, it will not pay to prune the combs. 

BEST TIME. 

The best time to begin is just long enough before to com- 
plete it by dark. First, blow some smoke under the hive, 
turn it over, and set on it an empty hive the same size. 
Stop all crevices, and rap on the lower hive a few times, 
with a light hammer or stick. The bees becoming alarmed, 
will set up a loud buzzing, and most of them will com- 
mence filling themselves with honey. Proceed with the 
drumming, and when they have taken all the honey they 
can carry, they will readily ascend into the upper hive. 
The loud buzzing is not so much a sign of auger as of fear. 
In five or ten minutes, one edge of the upper hive may be 
raised to inspect progress. When most are up, set the 
upper one on the old stand, get another empty one, and 
drive out more, shake these down in front of the others, 
and they will immediately enter. If there are only a few 
left scattered here and there on the combs, they may be 
disregarded. By this time, none of them are disposed to 
sting, unless they have Italian blood in them. 

Should it be desired to drive the bees out permanently, 
for reason of diseased brood, or other causes, you have 
only to continue the process until all are out. They will 



208 PRUNING. 

go to work as a new swarm. The reason that complaints 
are made of such swarms not doing well generally, seems 
to be in allowing the colony to decrease too much before 
driving, thus leaving too few bees to accomplish anything. 
The tools for pruning are very simple. The broad one 
is readily made by any blacksmith, from a piece of an old 
scythe, about eighteen inches long, by simply taking off 
the back, and forming a shank for the handle at the heel. 
The end should be ground all on one side, and square 
across like a carpenter's chisel. This is for cutting the 



Fie;. 25.— tools for pruning. 



:tO 



combs at the sides of the hive ; the bevel will keep it close 
the whole length, when you wish to remove the whole of 
a comb. Being square instead of pointed or rounded, no 
difficulty will be found in guiding it, and being very thin, 
no combs will be broken or crushed. The other tool is for 
cutting off combs across the top, middle, or any place 
where it is desired to cut horizontally. It is merely a rod- 
of steel three-eighths of an inch in diameter, about two feet 
long, with a thin blade at a right angle, one and a half inches 
long, one-fourth inch wide, both edges sharp, upper side 
bevelled, bottom flat, etc. These are convenient for many 
purposes besides pruning, and the cost cannot be com- 
pared to the advantages. Now, with these tools, proceed 
to remove the brood combs from the centre of the hive to 
be pruned. The combs near the top and outside are used 
but little for breeding, and are generally filled with honey ; 
these should be left as a good start towards refilling. 
Reverse the hives, putting the one containing the bees 
under the other; by the next morning all are in their own 



PExrernsTG. 209 

hive. Put it on the stand, and the work is done without 
any extra expense for a patent, and the bees are much bet- 
ter off for the honey left, which must be taken away, with 
all patent plans that I have seen, except the movable 
combs. This is worth much more to the bees than to the 
owner, as it often contains cocoons and bee-bread, and 
they will repay with pure comb and honey. 

LITTLE RISK OF STING. 

The general objection to this mode of renewing combs, 
is the fear of being stung. There is, however, but little 
danger, not as much as in walking among the hives in a 
warm day. Begin properly, use smoke, work carefully, 
without pinching them, and you will generally escape un- 
hurt. With the movable combs, it is only necessary to 
take out a comb, shake off the bees, cut out what comb 
you wish, and return it to the hive. 

FREQUENT PRUNrNG- NOT RECOMMENDED. 

In giving these directions, I do not wish it to be forgotten 
that I disapprove of frequent pruning. Combs once used 
for breeding, can be used for no other purpose as well, as 
they are undesirable for storing honey. The time of the 
bees can be much more profitably employed than in build- 
ing new brood-combs every year. Combs can be used for 
ten years without detriment to the bees. The idea that 
bees will become dwarfed by being raised in cells long used 
for such a purpose, is seldom entertained by practical bee- 
keepers. I have long believed it impossible for the most 
interested advocate of renewal, to detect any diminution 
in the size of such bees. 



210 DISEASED BROOD. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

DISEASED BROOD. 
"WHAT IS IT? 

I find since writing the original chapter on this subject, 
that bee-keepers are much more familiar with it than I 
supposed. Mr. Langstroth' in his work gave a fair descrip- 
tion, terming it "foul brood," but knew nothing of it from 
his own experience. Mr. S. "Wagner, of York, Pa., has 
found much on the subject in the German Bee Journals. 
He has kindly sent me translations of some articles con- 
tributed by Dzierzon, the great German apiarian. I find 
but little that is not identical with the experience concern- 
ing it in this country. In its first appearance in Dzierzon's 
apiary it was much more disastrous than I ever knew it to 
be, and it came near sweeping away his whole apiary. 
Afterwards, when better acquainted with it, he was more 
succcessful in his management. 

ITALIANS LESS AFFECTED. 

It would be interesting to learn how he succeeds, since 
he has introduced the Italians. Since their introduction 
into my apiaries, the number affected with this disease has 
diminished five-sixths. Whether this is to be attributed 
to them I cannot say, but I am inclined to give them some 
credit for it. 

This disease is probably of recent origin in this country. 
Mr. Weeks said in a newspaper article some years ago, 
" since the potato rot commenced', I have lost one-fourth 
of my bees annually by this disease," and adds his fears, 
" that this race of insects will become extinct from this 
cause, if not arrested." 



DISEASED BROOD. 211 

WHERE EOUND. 

It now seems to be prevalent through nearly all of 2sF. 
T., most of the Eastern States and in some parts of Ohio 
and Pa. In the great California bee-fever a great many- 
diseased stocks were bought up for shipment, by specu- 
lators, who were perfectly ignorant of its nature, which re- 
sulted in spreading it through that State. Loud complaints 
came back against unprincipled bee-keepers, attributing 
blame where it did not always belong. Whether it has in- 
creased or diminished within the last year or two, I have 
not been informed. 

WHEN FIRST DISCOVERED. 

My first experience will probably go back to a date 
beyond that of many others. It is now thirty years ago 
since I noticed the first case. I had kept bees but four or 
five years when I discovered it in one of my best stocks. 
It cast no swarm through the summer, and in September, 
instead of being crowded with bees, contained very few, 
so few that I dared not attempt to winter it. "What was 
the matter ? I had then never dreamed of ascertaining the 
condition of a stock while there were bees in the way, but 
was like the unskilfull physician, who is obliged to wait 
for the death of his patient, that he may dissect and discover 
the cause. I accordingly consigned the few remaining 
bees to the " brimstone pit." 

DESCRD?TION. 

A post-mortem examination revealed the following state 
of things. Nine-tenths of the breeding- cells contained 
young bees in the larva state, stretched out at full length, 
sealed over, dead, black, putrid, and emitting a disagree- 
able smell. Here was one link in the chain of cause and 
effect. I learned why there was a scarcity of bees in the 
hive. What should have constituted their increase, had 



212 DISEASED BROOD. 

died in the cells ; none were removed, consequently but 
few cells, where any bees could be matured, were left. 
But when I attempted to discover the next link in the 
chain, viz : — What caused the death of this brood, just at 
this stage of development — I was obliged to stop. Not 
the least satisfaction could be obtained. All inquiries a- 
mong the bee-keepers of my acquaintance were met with 
profound ignorance. They had "never heard of it !" No 
work on bees that I consulted ever mentioned it. 

Subsequently I found more stocks in the same condition. 
I learned whenever the disease existed to any extent, that 
the few bees matured were insufficient to replace those that 
were lost; that the colony rapidly declined, and never 
afterwards cast a sioarm. 

KEMEDTES ATTEMPTED. 

I tried pruning out all the combs containing brood, leav- 
ing only such as contained honey, and let the bees con- 
struct new for breeding. It was of no use; these new 
combs were invariably filled with diseased brood. The 
only effectual remedy was to drive out the bees into an 
empty hive. In this way, when done in season, I generally 
succeeded in raising a healthy stock. But here was a loss 
of all surplus honey, and a swarm or two that might have 
been obtained from a healthy one. 

SUPPOSED CAUSE. 

I had so many cases of the kind, that I became alarmed, 
and made inquiry through the agricultural papers for a 
cause and remedy, offering a reward " for one that would 
not fail when thoroughly tested." Mr. Weeks, in answer, 
said that " cold weather in spring, chilling the brood was 
the cause." (This was several years prior to his article 
spoken of.) Another gentleman said, that " the accumula- 
tion of dead bees and filth during winter, when suffered to 



DISEASED BROOD. 213 

remain during spring, was the cause." A few years after 
another correspondent appeared in one of the papers, giv- 
ing particulars of his experience, proving very conclusively 
to himself, and many others, that it was to be attributed 
to cold. Having mislaid the paper containing his article, 
I will endeavor to quote correctly from memory. He had 
" three swarms issue in one day ; the weather during the 
day changed from very hot to the other extreme, produc- 
ing frost in many places the next morning. These swarms 
had left but few bees in the old stocks, and the cold forced 
them up among the combs for mutual warmth ; the brood 
near the bottom, thus left without bees to protect it by 
their animal heat, became chilled, and the consequence was 
diseased larvae." He then reasoned thus, " if the eggs of 
a fowl, at any time near the end of incubation,, become 
chilled from any cause, it stops all further developments. 
Bees are developed by continued heat, on the same princi- 
ple, and a chiU produces the same effect. Afterwards, other 
swarms issued under precisely similar circumstances ; but 
these old stocks were covered with a blanket through the 
night, which enabled the bees to keep at the bottom of the 
hive. In a few days, enough were hatched to render this 
trouble unnecessary. These last remained healthy." 

He further says, that " last spring was the first time I 
ever knew them to become diseased before swarming had 
thinned the population. The weather was remarkably 
pleasant through April. The befes obtained great quanti- 
ties of pollen and honey, and by this means, extended their 
brood further than usual at this season. Subsequent chilly 
weather in May, caused the bees to desert a portion of 
brood, which was destroyed by the chill.'' 

This is reasoning from cause to effect very consistently. 
Had I no experience further than this, I should perhaps 
rest satisfied as to the cause, and should endeavor to apply 
the remedy. Several other articles have appeared in dif- 



214 DISEASED BEOOD. 

ferent papers, on this subject, and nearly all who assign a 
cause have given this as the most probable. One says that 
wintering in the house, and then suddenly transferring to 
the open air, chills the brood. Now I have known the 
bee in a chrysalis state, in a few stocks, to be chilled and 
destroyed by a sudden turn of cold weather, yet these 
were removed by the bees soon after, and the stocks re- 
mained healthy. To me, the cause assigned seems inade 
quate to produce all the observed results. After close, pa 
tient observation for thirty years, I have never yet been 
wholly satisfied that any one instance of diseased brood 
among my bees, was thus produced. 

We are all familiar to some extent with the contagious 
diseases of the human family, such as small-pox, measles, 
etc., and their rapid spread from a given point. We must 
admit that some cause or causes adequate to the effect, 
must have produced the first case. To contagion, then, I 
would attribute the spread of this disease of our bees, 
in nineteen cases in twenty. I will admit that one 
stock in twenty or fifty may be affected by a chill 
to some extent. It is only a portion of brood that 
is in danger. Only such as have been sealed over, and 
have not progressed to the chrysalis state are attacked. 
How many then can there be in a hive, at any one 
time in just the right stage of development to receive 
the fatal chill ? Of course there will be some, but they will 
be confined to the cells hear the bottom, where the bees 
have left them exposed. This small number w T ould never 
seriously damage the stock, if the disease did not spread. 
Why does it, then, when thoroughly started, spread so rap- 
idly through all the combs in the hive ? Will it be said 
that the chill is repeated every few days through the sum- 
mer? Or must it not be admitted that something else 
may continue it ? I think that in most cases, there must 
be other causes, besides the chill, to even originate it. 



DISEASED BEOOD. 215 

As our practice will be in accordance with the view we 
take in this matter, and the result will be somewhat impor- 
tant, I will give some of the reasons that have led to this 
conclusion. 

Once in the month of March, all the bees of a good 
swarm left the hive and united with another good stock, 
making double the number of bees at this season ; enough 
to keep the brood sufficiently warm at any time, if other 
stocks with half or quarter of the number could do so. 
By the middle of June, the bees were much reduced, and 
had not cast a swarm. The hive was examined, and the 
brood found badly diseased. 

My best and most populous stocks in spring, are just as 
liable to be found in this condition, and I might add more 
so, than smaller or weaker families. I have united two large 
swarms, and found them diseased the next autumn. (It is 
probable that they obtained diseased honey.) These cases 
prove strongly, if not exclusively, that animal heat is not 
the only requisite. The facts, that when I bad pruned out 
all affected comb from a diseased stock, and left honey in 
the top and outside pieces, and the bees constructed new 
for breeding, and the brood in such were invariably af- 
fected, slightly at first, and increasing as the combs were 
extended, led me to suppose that it was a contagious dis- 
ease, and the poison was contained in the honey. Some 
of it being left in the hives, the bees had probably fed it 
to the brood. To test this theory still further, I drove all 
the bees from such diseased stocks, strained the honey, and 
fed it to several young healthy swarms soon after being 
hived. When examined a few weeks after, every one, 
without an exception^ had caught the contagion. Here 
then is a clue to the cause of the spread of the disease, 
whether we have its origin or not. We will now see if 
there is any consistency in the theory that it can be trans- 
ferred from one stock to another. 



216 DISEASED BROOD. 



MANNER OF SPREADING. 



Suppose one stock has caught the infection, and but a 
small portion of the brood is dead. In the heat of the hive, 
it soon becomes putrid ; adjoining cells containing larvae 
of the right age, are soon in the same condition. All the 
breeding combs in the hive become one putrid mass, with 
an exception, perhaps of one cell in ten, twenty, or a hun- 
dred that may perfect a bee. Thus the increase of bees is 
not enough to replace the old ones that are continually dy- 
ing off. It is plain, therefore, that this stock must soon 
dwindle to a very small family. Let a scarcity of honey 
now occur in the fields, this poor stock cannot be properly 
guarded, and is easily plundered of all its contents. Honey 
is taken that is in close proximity to dead bodies, corrupt- 
ing by thousands, creating a pestilential vapor, of which it 
has probably absorbed a portion. The seeds of destruction 
are by this means carried into healthy stocks. In a short 
time, these in turn fall victims to the scourge, and soon 
dwindle away, when some other strong stock is able to 
carry off their stores, and this destruction will only cease, 
perhaps, with the last colony of the apiary. The moth is 
ever ready with her burden of eggs, which she now depos- 
its without hindrance, directly on the combs. In a short 
time the worms finish the business, and are pronounced 
guilty of all the charges, merely because they are found 
carrying out effects that speedily follow such causes. 

In the summer of 1856 there was an extraordinary yield 
of honey. The old stocks were examined at the usual time 
after the issue of the first swarms, and the ordinary amount 
of the disease was found. On the next examination, in 
September, more than one half the old stocks had become 
affected, while all the new swarms in the same yard were 
entirely free. Had these caught the contagion by robbing, 
the swarms would have participated, and would have been 
equally affected. A new cause was evidently to be sought for. 



DISEASED BROOD. 217 

MR. WAGNER' S VIEW. 

Mr. Wagner, whom I have before mentioned, offered a 
solution, in substance as follows. After the old queen had 
left the stock, and all brood had been fed and sealed up, 
no more food was required for the young bees, till the 
young queen had laid eggs which should hatch and need 
it, a period of some two or three weeks. During this in- 
terval, the workers continued to collect pollen, the principal 
food of the larvae, and store it in the hive. During the 
time this pollen remained stored in the hive, and before 
needed for brood, it became soured, decomposed, or by 
some other process, rendered unhealthy, when fed to the 
larvae, and some of them sickened and died. The reason 
that the swarms were not affected, was, that they had an 
old queen steadily producing brood, which required food 
every clay, and consumed this pollen in its fresh state, con- 
sequently remained healthy. Now here was a theory ex- 
plaining the origin of the phenomena better than most 
others, though not perfectly satisfactory. A year or two 
later, we had a very poor season for swarming, and but 
few issued. This furnished a sort of test of this theory. 
If on examination of a given number in the fall, there 
should be more diseased ones among those that had 
swarmed, than among those that had not, it would be 
strong presumptive evidence v in its favor. The result was 
so nearly equal, that it proved nothing. Adding still an- 
other hypothesis, and supposing that this poisonous mate- 
rial is not obtained every year, would help it some, yet it 
would be necessary then to admit that these bad qualities 
would affect the hive for several years afterward. It would 
also suggest that the material was not pollen, but some 
other substance. For instance, the secretions of the Aphis, 
or Plant Louse. We all know that they are more numer- 
ous some seasons than others. Mr. Wagner says that in 
Germany the Aphides appeared one season, in countless 
10 



218 DISEASED BROOD. 

myriads, secreting the saccharine fluid in abundance. The 
bees appropriated large quantities, and as a result, nine- 
tenths became badly diseased. He suggested that our ev- 
ergreens produced something of this kind. This is possible, 
but not probable. Unless our evergreens are different 
from others, or produce a different race of insects from 
those produced where the disease never is found, we shall 
need to look further for a solution. 

There is no point connected with bee-keeping, on which 
I have bestowed so much anxious thought, with such un- 
satisfactory results. It is very difficult to detect the first 
hundred or two larvae that die in a stock. But when nine- 
tenths of the breeding-cells hold putrid larvae, there is but 
little difficulty in making out a diagnosis. The bees are 
few and inactive. When passing the hive, our olfactories 
are saluted with nauseous effluvia, arising from this cor- 
rupting mass. Now, if we wish, or expect to escape the 
most severe penalty, our neglect must never allow this 
stage of progress before such a stock is removed. There- 
, fore, we must watch symptoms, and ascertain the j>resence 
of the disease at the earliest possible moment. 

CAUTION. 

As no part of the breeding season is exempt, the stocks 
should be carefully observed during spring, and early part 
of summer, with reference to increase of bees. When any 
are much behind others in this respect, make an examina- 
tion immediately. The movable comb hive is readily ex- 
amined by lifting out the combs, but the box-hive must be 
inverted, and the bees smoked out of the way. 

EXAMINATION. 

Attention must be directed to the breeding-cells ; with 
a sharp pointed knife, proceed to cut off the ends of some 
that appear to be the oldest, bearing in mind that young 



DISEASED BROOD. 219 

bees are always white, until some time after they assume 
the chrysalis form. Therefore if a larva? is found of a dark 
color, it is dead. Should a dozen or two such be found, 
the stock sheuld be condemned at once, and all the bees 
driven into an empty hive. On no consideration put them 
into empty combs, as they would be likely to keep some 
of the honey for their brood. If it is desirable to put 
them in a hive containing comb, they may be transferred to 
it after they have been in an empty one long enough to 
consume all the honey they have carried with them. (Di- 
rections giving for driving in Chap, xiii.) If honey is 
scarce at the time, they should be fed. But if it is discov- 
ered too late for honey to be collected, it will hardly pay 
to feed them. 

The honey from the old hive may be used, if the poison 
is first destroyed. This may be done by scalding. Add a 
quart of water to about ten pounds of honey, stir it well, heat 
it to the boiling point, and carefully remove all the scum. 

Stocks, in which the disease has not progressed too 
far, will generally swarm. Three weeks after the first 
swarm, is the proper time to examine them. I make it a 
rule to inspect all my stocks at this period. It is easily 
done, as about all the healthy brood, except drones, should 
be matured in that time. By perseverance in these rules, 
I allow no stocks to dwindle away until they are plundered 
by others. 

If all bee-keepers were equally careful this disease 
would only occasionally be found. This is like a careless 
farmer, allowing a noxious weed to mature seeds, to be 
wafted by winds to the lands of a careful neighbor, who 
must fortify himself to continual vigilance, or endure a 
foul pest. So with a successful apiarian, in sections where 
it has not appeared, he must be continually on the watch. 
Vigilance is the price of success. 

Again, after the breeding season is over, in the fall, 



220 DISEASED BROOD. 

every stock should he thoroughly inspected, and cdl diseased 
ones condemned for stock hives. Even if it should take the 
last one, it would pay to procure healthy ones instead. 
Persons wishing to eat the honey from such hives, will ex- 
perience no bad effects from it, if they are careful to re- 
move the brood combs, as they take it out of the hive. 

Careless bee-keepers, when their hives are robbed, feel 
regret, or are more often vexed with some one, at the re- 
sult of their own carelessness. The real cause of com- 
plaint more often belongs to the owners of the robbing 
bees, as the honey obtained in this way, probably carries 
with it more mischief than can be eradicated in a twelve 
month. 

ASSUMED KNOWLEDGE. 

It is interesting to read the descriptions of this disease 
by the would-be bee-doctors, who have never had a case 
during their " long " experience. They have heard of it, 
somewhere, and forthwith they know all about it, prescribe 
remedies, and recommend antidotes. An article appeared 
in an agricultural paper not long since, with alarming fea- 
tures. After describing the disease, he gave as the only 
safe remedy, burning the hive, killing the bees, and bury- 
ing the remainder of the contents ; proving that he knevj 
nothing of the subject, and had copied from some unrelia- 
ble source. A person, who will advise such waste, should 
not be accepted as a teacher of the people. To say he ad- 
vised it ignorantly, without due consideration, does not 
help the matter. Why did he assume to teach what he 
knew nothing about ? What is the use of killing a colony 
of bees, when, if attended to in season, they may be con- 
verted into a good stock, worth several dollars? Such 
hives often contain several pounds of beautiful honey, — 
why bury it ? And why waste one or two pounds of good 
wax which may be readily exchanged for gold ? 



ANGER OF BEES. 221 

He likewise cautioned purchasers of Italian queens, who 
live in districts where the disease has not appeared, to 
never procure them from a section where it exists ; because 
if the little combs that are sent with the queen should 
contain any honey from such a hive, " the disease would 
go with it, as sure as fate." I have never known such a 
result in a single instance. Neither have I ever found an 
experienced ajriarian, one who kneio what he was saying, 
who advanced such an idea. Should a full colony, badly 
affected, be sent into a district where it never appeared, 
there is no need of its being extended. If the bees are 
simply transferred to 'an empty hive, and the contents 
secured from pillage, it would go no further. There would 
be no loss, except in transferring. 



CHAPTER XV. 

ANGER OF BEES. 



CAUSES OF IRRITABILITY. 

Keeping bees good natured, offers a pretty fair subject 
for ridicule, for it seems rather too absurd to talk of teach- 
ing a bee anything. Nevertheless, it is worth while to 
think of it a little. Most of us know, that by injudicious 
training, horses, cattle, dogs, etc., may be rendered ex- 
tremely vicious. If there is no perceptible analogy between 
them and bees, experience proves that they too, may be 
made ten times more irritable than they are naturally. 

Nature has provided them with weapons to defend their 
stores, and combativeness sufficient to use them when ne- 
cessary. If they were powerless to repel an enemy, there 
are a thousand lazy depredators, man not excepted, who 
would prey upon the fruits of their industry, leaving them 



222 A^GER OF BEES. 

to starve. Had it been so arranged, this industrious insect 
would probably have long since become extinct. 

In seasons when buckwheat abounds, they seem to mani- 
fest more than usual irritability during its bloom. As 
soon as a stock is pretty well supplied with this world's 
goods, like some bipeds, they become haughty, aristocratic 
and insolent. A great many things are construed into 
insults, that, in their days of adversity, would pass unno- 
ticed ; but now it is becoming and due to their honor to 
show "a just resentment." It behooves us, therefore, to 
ascertain what are considered as insults. First, all quick 
motions about them, such as running, striking, etc., are 
noticed. If our movements among them are slow, cau- 
tious, and respectful, we are often let to pass unmolested, 
having manifested a becoming deportment. Yet the 
exhalations from some persons appear to be very offensive, 
as they attack some much sooner than others, though I 
■apprehend there is not so great a difference as many sup- 
pose. Whenever an attack is made, and a sting follows, 
the venom thus imparted to the air is perceived by others 
at some distance, who will immediately approach the scene, 
and more stings are likely to follow. 

The breathing of a person into the hive, or among them 
when clustered outside, is considered in the tribunals of 
their insect wisdom, as the greatest indignity. A sudden 
jar, sometimes made by carelessly turning up the hive is an- 
other. After being once thoroughly irritated in this way, 
they remember it a long time, and are continually on the 
alert ; the moment the hive is touched they are ready to 
salute a person's face. When slides of tin or zinc are used 
to cut off the communication between the hives and boxes, 
some of the bees are apt to be crushed, or cut in two. 
This they remember and retaliate as occasion offers ; and 
it may be when quietly walking in the apiary. 



ANGER OF BEES. 223 

HOW THEY MAKE AN ATTACK. 

I iniist disagree with any one who says that we always 
have warning before being stung. Two-thirds of them 
sting without giving the least intimation. At other 
times, when fully determined on vengeance, I have had 
them strike my hat, and remain a moment endeavoring to 
effect their object. In this case, I have warning to hold 
down my face to protect it from a second attempt which 
is quite sure to follow. As they fly horizontally, the face 
held in that position is not so liable to be attacked.* 

When they are not so thoroughly angry, they often ap- 
proach in merely a threatening attitude, buzzing around 
very provokingly for several minutes in close proximity to 
one's ears and face, apparently to ascertain our intentions. 
If nothing hostile or displeasing is perceived, they will 
generally leave ; but should a quick motion, or disagree- 
able breath offend them, the dreaded result is not long de- 
layed. Too many people are apt to construe these threat- 
ening manifestations into positive intentions to sting. 

NEVER IRRITAELE WHEN AFTER HONEY. 

They never make an attack while in quest of honey, or 
on their return, until they have entered the hive. It is 
only in the hive and its vicinity that we may expect them 
to manifest this irascible temperament. It may be sub- 
dued in a great measure, if not entirety, by working 
quietly and using smoke. Any person, having the care 
of bees, should be armed with this powerful weapon. As 
bees are not much affected with smoke wdiile flying in the 
air, but will there have their own way, we must teach 
them a proper deportment in the hive. 

* Striking them down renters them ten times more furious. Not in the least 
daunted they return to the attack. Not the least show of fear is perceived. 
Even after losing their sting, they obstinately refuse to desist. The best way is 
to walk as quietly as possible to the shelter of some bush or to the house. They 
will seldom go inside of the door. 



224 .ANGER OF BEES. 

Those who are accustomed to smoking will find a pipe 
or cigar very convenient here. But I would not advise 
any one to make this an excuse for forming a had habit.* 

SMOKER DESCRIBED. 

Get a tin tube five-eighths of an inch diameter, five or 
six inches in length ; make stoppers of wood to fit each 
end, two and a half or three inches long, tapered at the 
ends. With a nail-gimlet make a hole through them 
lengthwise ; when put together, it should be about ten 
inches in length. On one end make a notch, that it may 
be held with the teeth, which is the most convenient way, 
as you will ofteu want to use both hands. When ready to 
operate, fill the tube with tobacco, ignite it, and put in the 
stoppers ; by blowing through it, you keep the tobacco 
burning, while the smoke issues at the other end. This 
requires blowing almost constantly to keep it burning. I 
have another mode of using tobacco which is very conve- 
nient. Take a piece of old cotton or linen cloth eighteen 
inches long by six wide. Spread over it a layer of tobacco 
one-fourth of an inch thick. Roll up and fasten with a 
needle and thread. Light one end and it will continue 
burning as long as required. The smoke of decayed wood, 
commonly known as spunk or touch-wood, is also useful — 
but there are cases of extreme irritability, where it does 
not seem to be as efficient as tobacco. We can now sub- 
due these combative propensities, or render them harmless; 
turn their anger to submission, and force them to yield 
their treasures to the hands of the spoiler without an effort 
of resistance. When once overpowered, they seem to lose^ 
all knowledge of their power, and no slave can be more 
submissive. 



* I continued the practice for years for the mere convenience of the smoke 
when operating among my bees. But by using some simple substitutes which I 
will describe, I have managed bees for seven years without pipe or cigar, and 
much more to my satisfaction. 



AJSTGEK OP BEES. 225 

ITALIAN'S LESS DOCILE. 

After the effect of the smoke has passed off, their former 
animosity will return. Should any resentment be shown 
on raising a hive, blow in the smoke ; they will immedi- 
ately retreat, "begging pardon." The Italians, after ap- 
parent submission, will return to the attack several times. 
It often requires one to smoke them, while another operates. 

If you wish to take off a box, raise it just enough to 
blow the smoke under ; you can replace it with another 
without trouble, and a little smoke will keep the bees out 
of the way. Those in the box are all submission ; the box 
can be carried away and handled as you please, without 
their becoming irritated, until they once more get home, 
and then are much more amiable than if the box had been 
taken without the smoke. They do not seem to realize 
anything concerning the transaction. 

When bees are to be transferred to a new hive, it is un- 
necessary to be so very particular about the escape of a 
single bee ; no fears need be felt of such as get out. In 
driving, the loud humming indicates their fear ; the up- 
per hive can then be raised safely. After being thus 
driven out, they may be pushed about with impunity, and 
will still remain quiet. In short, the use of smoke on all 
occasions where they would be likely to be disturbed by 
our meddling with them, has a tendency to keep dormant 
their combative propensities. When these have never been 
aroused, there is much less danger of their attacks, while 
walking or looking among them. 

BEE-CHAKMS UNRELIABLE. 

As for advertised "Bee-Charms" I would recommend 
very moderate investments until they have been tested. 
And you will soon have " enough and to spare," unless 
you get a different article from any I have ever seen. 

10* 



226 ANGER OF BEES. 



The sting of the bee, as it appears to the naked eye, is 
a tiny instrument of war, so small, indeed, that its wound 
would pass unheeded by all the larger animals, were it not 
for the poison introduced at the same instant. 

It has been described as being " composed of three 
parts, a sheath and two darts. Both the darts are furnished 
with small points or barbs like a fish-hook," that hold it 
when thrust into the flesh; 'the bee being compelled to 
leave it behind. 

DOES ITS LOSS PROVE FATAL? 

It is said that " to the bee itself this mutilation proves 
fatal." This is another assertion so often repeated, that 
perhaps we might as well admit it ; as it would be difficult 
to disprove it. Think of the impossibility of keeping our 
eye, for five minutes, on a bee that is flying about, after it 
has left its sting. Yet there are some persons, so very 
particular about what they accept as fact, that they would 
require that a bee should be watched till it died, before 
they could be positively sure that the loss of its sting 
caused its death. They might reason from analogy, and 
say that other insects possess so little sensation that they 
have been known to recover, after much more extensive 
mutilation — that beetles have lived for months under cir- 
cumstances that would instantly kill some of the higher 
animals — that spiders often reproduce a leg, and even lob- 
sters sometimes replace a lost claw, etc. 

I have endeavored to show that there is no great reason 
for fear in our operations among bees, yet it is idle to sup- 
pose that all will manage successfully without some means 
of defence, especially when dealing with the Italians. The 
face and hands being most exposed, need some protection. 
Thick woolen mittens or rubber gloves are best ; the sting 
is generally left when thrust into a leather glove. 



ANGER OF BEES. 



227 



PROTECTION. 

To protect the face, procure one and a half yards of 
thin muslin or calico, sew the ends together, and gather 
one edge on a rubber cord to fit the crown of a hat; cut 
out an arm hole on each side, and put a string in 
the bottom to gather it close to 
the body, or make it shorter and 
tie around the neck. As I do 
not expect you to work, in the 
dark, Ave will have a piece cut out 
in front, and coarse lace, or fine 
wire-cloth inserted. That which 
is just fine enough to prevent a bee 




. 26. — BEE HAT. 



from passing, is best, as it gives a 
better chance to see. To keep the 
lace from falling against the face, 
s%w a wire around it. To facilitate 
smoking, I have a tube of some 
convenient material, several inches 
in length, passing through the lace 
or wire-cloth, one end of which can 
be taken in the mouth, and with which the smoke can be 
directed wherever desired. 

Whenever only a partial protection is necessary, a hand- 
kerchief is suitable, it is always at hand, and can be put on 
in a moment. Throw it over the head, letting it fall around 
the neck and shoulders, covering all but the face. The hat 
can be put on over it. 



REMEDIES FOR STINGS. 

It is difficult to tell which are the best remedies for 
stings. There is so much difference in the effect upon 
different individuals, and upon different parts of the body, 
as well as in the depth a sting reaches, that remedies effec- 
tual in one instance, will be virtueless in another. 



228 ENEMIES OF BEES. 

For a number of years, I have used none whatever for 
myself, and the effect is no worse, nor even as bad as for- 
merly. (It is said that this is because the system is hard- 
ened to the effects of the poison.) Among the remedies 
recommended, are saleratus and water, salt and water, 
soft-soap and salt, a raw onion cut in two and one-half ap- 
plied, mud or clay mixed wet and changed often, tobacco 
wet and thoroughly rubbed to get the strength, and con- 
stant applications of cold water. To allay the smarting, 
the application of tobacco is strongly urged, and cold wa- 
ter is spoken of with equal favor to prevent the swelling. 

When stung in the throat, drinking often of salt and 
water is said to prevent serious consequences. 

Whether any of these remedies are applied or not, it is 
hardly necessary to say that the sting should be pulled out 
as soon as practicable. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

ENEMIES OF BEES. 

Among the enemies of bees, are included rats, mice, 
birds, toads and insects. But some of these are probably 
not guilty of any actual mischief. I strongly suspect that 
the spirit of destructiveness is altogether too active in 
many people. There are some farmers, so short sighted 
and vindictive, that, were it in their power, they would 
destroy a whole class of birds, because some of them had 
picked a few cherries, or dug out a few hills of corn, "when, at 
the same time, they are indebted to their activity in devour- 
ing worms, insects, etc., that would otherwise have 
destroyed entire crops. It will be well, therefore, to see 
if we are to be losers or gainers by an indiscriminate 
slaughter, before we pass sentence on these reputed pests. 



ENEMIES OF BEES. 229 

RATS AND MICE. 

Rats and mice are never troublesome, except in cold 
weather. The entrances of all hives standing out, are 
much too small to admit a rat. No damage need be ap- 
prehended from them except when the hives are in the 
house. They appear to be fond of honey, and when it is 
accessible, will eat several pounds in a short time. 

Mice will often enter the hive when on the stand, and 
make extensive depredations. Sometimes, after cutting a 
space in the combs, they will make their nests there. The 
animal heat created by the bees, will make a snug warm 
place for winter quarters. The " deer mouse" seems to 
be particularly fond of the bees, while those belonging to 
the house, appear to relish the honey. Whether they take 
live bees, or only such as are already dead, I cannot say. 
Only a part of the bee is- eaten, and judging from the frag- 
ments left, they must consume quite a number. Whether 
they take bees or honey, a little care to prevent their de- 
predations, is well worthy of bestowal. As rats and mice 
have so long been condemned and sentenced as universal 
plagues, without any redeeming traits, I will say nothing 
in their favor, and am perfectly willing that they shall be 
hanged until dead. 

A WORD FOR THE KING-BIRD. 

But for some of the birds accused of preying upon bees, 
I would say a word. The king-bird stands at the head of 
the list of feathered depredators. With a fair trial he will 
be found guilty, though not so heinously criminal as many 
suppose. I think we shall find him guilty of taking only 
drones. In the afternoon of a fair day, he may be seen 
perched upon some dry branch of a shrub or tree near 
the apiary, watching for his victims. I have shot him, and 
examined his crop, after seeing him devour a goodly num- 
ber, but in every instance the bees were so crushed that it 



230 ENEMIES OP BEES. 

was impossible to distinguish workers from drones. We 
are told of great numbers of workers being thus found. 
It may be so, or it may be thus represented by prejudice. 
The brutal desire of taking life is so strong with some, 
that a morbid antipathy is allowed to take the place of 
justice, and a proper defence is not allowed in cases where 
the suffering party has not the power to enforce it. If the 
king-bird devoured workers instead of drones, why does 
he not visit the apiary long before noon, and fill his crop 
with them ? But instead, he waits until afternoon ; if no 
drones are flying, he watches quietly till one appears, al- 
though workers may be out by hundreds. If it is asked 
how they distinguish them, I would suggest that instinct, 
which teaches most animals the proper kinds of food, 
might direct the birds in this case. 

CHICKENS WILL EAT DRONES. 

I have seen chickens which would stand by the hive and 
devour every drone, as soon as he touched the board, 
while workers would pass in scores untouched. Whether 
this loss of the drones is a disadvantage or otherwise, de- 
pends entirely upon circumstances. If there is a scarcity 
of honey, the fewer drones' the better. It is a matter of 
so little importance to the bees, that it would probably not 
pay for powder to shoot the depredators. 

Martins, and a kind of swallow, are said to be guilty of 
taking bees on some occasions, but as they pursue them 
on the wing, the remai'ks concerning the king-bird are ap- 
plicable to them. 

CAT-BIRD ACQUITTED. 

The cat-bird also comes in for a share of censure. It is 
said " he will get right clown by the hive, and pick up 
bees by the hundred." Yet, in the face of this charge, I 
am disposed to acquit him. With the closest observation, 



ENEMIES OP BEES. 231 

I find him picking up only young and immature bees, such 
as are thrown out from the combs. They may be seen 
about the apiary, as soon as the first rays of light make 
objects visible, looking for their morning supply, as well 
as frequently during the day. Should an unlucky worm 
be in sight just then, looking up a place to spin a cocoon, 
or a moth be reposing on some corner of the hive, its fate 
is at once decided. Before destroying this bird, it would 
be well to judge from actual observation of the truth of 
the charges against him, else we may "destroy a friend 
instead of a foe." 

THE TOAD. 

A toad is discovered near the hives, and is forthwith 
executed as a bee-eater. Says one — " he ought to be killed 
for his looks, if nothing else." He is thus often sacrificed 
really on account of his appeai*ance, on the nominal pre- 
tence that he is a villain. After he is despatched, the com- 
plaint is made that the bugs that he might have destroyed, 
" have eaten up all the little cucumbers and cabbages !" 
His food is probably small insects. I had strong doubts 
of his being a bee-eater for a long time after the first edi- 
tions of this work were published, notwithstanding the 
positive assurance by some of my bee-keeping friends, that 
he was guilty. I watched closely for years, without dis- 
covering anything to confirm the assertion. At last, one 
dark, cloudy day, when but few bees were stirring, I 
found a corpulent fellow perched upon a stand, close to 
the entrance, seeming very much at home, and gazing at 
nothing with the most stupid indifference. A bee lit be- 
side him, when after a slight motion of the eye, his mouth 
opened, and closed like a flash of lightning. The bee was 
gone ! — his long flexible tongue had deposited it beyond 
the reach of help. 

Again he was motionless, and mute as a stone, waiting 



232 ENEMIES OE BEES. 

for another victim with the most provoking complacency. 
I found in his stomach more than a dozen which he had al- 
ready swallowed ; they were dead, but not mutilated. 
Notwithstanding his shabby ingratitude in impudently 
committing the crime before my very face, after fooling 
me so long with his innocent looks, and allowing me to 
plead his case for years, I am going to hand him over to 
the judge with a strong "recommendation to mercy." I 
trust he will reform, and not cultivate a taste for beautiful 
Italians. When he can control his appetite, so as to be 
content with the delicacies that the garden affords, he may 
rise in our estimation. 

He can be excluded from the apiary, if desired, by a 
close fence, a foot in height. 

BLACK WASP. 

But little can be said in favor of the black wasps that 
visit the hives in the sunny days of spring. They seem to 
have no other object than to tease and irritate the bees. I 
never could discover that they entered the hive for pur- 
poses of plunder. They have frequent battles with the 
bees, but I never saw any bees devoured, or carried off, or 
even killed, although sad havoc is sometimes reported. 
After the first of June, they are seldom troublesome. The 
yellow wasps or hornets that are around in autumn, are 
of but little account ; their object is honey which they take 
when th»3y can, but are not apt to enter the hive among 
the bees. 

ANTS— A WORD EST THEIR FAVOR. 

Ants come in for a share of condemnation. These in- 
dustrious little insects shall have my efforts for a fair hear- 
ing. Many bee-keepers are wholly ignorant, most of the 
time, of the real condition of their stocks. Many causes, 
independent of ants, induce a reduction of population. 



ENEMIES OF BEES. 233 

Suppose the bees are so reduced as to leave the combs un- 
protected, and the ants enter and appropriate some of the 
honey. The owner comes along just then, and sees them 
engaged : " Ha, you are the rascals who have destroyed 
my bees," he exclaims, without a thought of looking for 
causes beyond jDresent appearances. They are often un- 
justly accused by the farmer, of injuring his little trees, 
by causing the tender leaves to curl and wither. Inquiries 
are often made in agricultural papers for means of destroy- 
ing them, when the real cause of the mischief is the Aphi- 
des, that are upon the leaves and stalks in hundreds, 
robbing them of their important juices, and secreting a 
fluid highly prized by the ants. 

The habits of the small black ants give rise to suspicion 
of mischief. They live in communities of thousands, having 
their nests in old walls, old timber, or in the earth. From 
these nests a string of ants may be sometimes traced for 
rods, going after, and returning with food. During wet 
weather, such as would make the earth, and many other 
places too damp and cold for a nest, they look out for bet- 
ter quarters. The top or chamber of our bee-hives affords 
a desirable shelter. The animal heat from the bees renders 
it perfectly comfortable. How can we blame them for 
choosing a location so completely supplying all their wants? 
But the careless observer discovering their train to and 
fro, from their nest on the hive, exclaims : " Why, I have 
seen them going in a continual stream to the hive after 
honey ;" when a little scrutiny would show that the nest 
was on the top of the hive, and they were going elsewhere 
for food, not one to be seen entering the hive among the 
bees for honey. When honey is unprotected by .bees, and 
left where they can have access, they will naturally carry 
off some, but it may be easily secured. 



234 ENEMIES OP BEES. 



Spiders are of course a considerable annoyance to the 
apiarian, as well as to the bees ; not so much on account 
of the number of bees consumed, as from their habit of 
spinning a web about the hive, that will occasionally take 
a moth, but will probably entangle fifty bees the while.* 
They are probably in fear of the bees, or else, they do not 
relish the bee as food, as one caught in the morning is fre- 
quently untouched during the day. This web is often ex- 
actly before the entrance, entangling the bees as they go 
out and return, irritating and hindering them greatly, 
though they often esccipe after repeated struggles. I have 
removed a web from the same place, every morning for a 
week, that was renewed at night with astonishing persever- 
ance. The redeeming qualities of the spider are few, and 
are more than balanced by its evil propensities. Their 
sagacity will sometimes find a place of concealment, not 
easily discovered. At the approach of cold weather, the 
box or chamber of the hive, being a little warmer than other 
places, will attract a great many there to "deposit their 
eggs. Little piles of webbing may be seen attached to the 
top of the hive, or sides of boxes. These contain eggs for 
the next year's brood. This is the time to destroy them, 
and save trouble for the future. 



If we combine into one phalanx all the depredators yet 
named, and compare their ability for mischief, with that 
of tb.e wax-moth, we shall find their powers of destruction 
but feeble in comparison. From the moth herself, we 
would have nothing to fear were it not for her progeny ; 
a hundred or thousand vile worms, whose food is princi- 
pally wax or comb. 



* Not long since, an eminent apiarian recommended the spider as an assistant 
in destroying the moth. 



ENEMIES OE BEES. 



235 



As the instincts of the flesh-fly direct her to a putrid 
carcass to deposit her eggs, that her offspring may have 
their proper food, so the moth seeks the hive containing 
combs, where the natural food of her progeny is at hand. 
During the day a rusty brown miller, with wings close to 
the body, may be often seen lying perfectly motionless, on 
the corner of a hive, or on the under edge of the top, 
where it projects over. They are more frequent at the 
corners than anywhere else, one-third of their length pro- 
jecting beyond it, appearing much like a sliver on the 
edge of a board that is somewhat weather-beaten. 




Fig. 27. — BEE MOTH — TWO MALES AND ONE FEMALE. 

Their color so closely resembles old wood, that I have 
no doubt their enemies are often deceived, and they thus 
escape with their lives. As soon as darkness shuts out the 
view, and there is no danger of their movements being 
discovered, they throw off their inactivity, and commence 
searching for a place to deposit their eggs, and woe to the 
stock that has not bees sufficient to keep them from the 
comb. Although their larva? generally has a skin that the 
bee cannot pierce with its sting, it is not so with the moth, 
and they seem to be aware of the fact, for whenever a bee 
approaches, they dart away with a speed ten times greater 



236 



ENEMIES OF BEES. 



than that of any bee disposed to follow. They enter the 
hive, and dodge out in a moment either from fear of the 
bees, or from having actually encountered them. Now it 
needs no argument to show, that when our stocks are well 
protected, there must be a poor chance for depositing eggs 
upon the combs, which instinct teaches them is the proper 
place. But they must leave them somewhere. 

WHERE THEIR EGGS ARE DEPOSITED. 

When driven from all the combs within, the next best 
places are the cracks and flaws about the hive, that are 
lined with propolis ; and the dust and chips that fall on the 
floor-board of a young swarm not full. This last material 
is mostly wax, and answers very well instead of comb. 
The eggs will hatch here, and the worms sometimes ascend 
to the comb, hence the necessity of keeping the bottom 
brushed off clean. It will prevent those hatched on the 




Fig. 19. — WORM GALLERY IN THE COMB. ' 

bottom from going up, also prevent the bees from taking 
up any eggs on their feet, if this should happen to be the 
method by which they get among the combs of a populous 
stock. They are often detected there, and I can conceive 
of no other means by which they can be deposited. A 




ENEMIES OP BEES. 237 

worm lodged in the comb makes his way either to the cen- 
tre, or between the heads of the young bees in the cells 
and the sealing, and as he proceeds, eats a passage, lining 
it with a shroud of silk, and gradually enlarging it, as he 
increases in size. When combs are filled with honey, they 
work on the surface, eating only the sealing. In very weak 

families, this silken 
passage is left un- 
touched, but is re- 
moved by all strong 
colonies. I have found 

Fig. 28.-WORM GALLERY REMOVED FROM ft asser ted that "the 
THE COMB. ill ii 

worms would be all 
immediately destroyed by the bees were it not for a kind 
of dread of touching them, until compelled by necessity." 
As the facts which led to this conclusion are not given, 
and I can find none confirming it, perhaps I shall be ex- 
cused for being " of little faith." On the contrary, I find to 
all appearance, an instinctive antipathy to all intruders, and 
they immediately remove them when possessing the power. 

WORMS SOMETIMES WORK IX THE CENTRE OF COMBS. 

When a worm is in the centre of a comb filled with 
brood, its passage is not at first discovered. The bees, to 
get it out, must bite away half the thickness of the comb, 
removing the brood in one or two rows of cells, sometimes 
for several inches. This will account for the number of 
immature bees found on the floor-board at morning, in the 
spring ; as well as in stocks and swarms but partially pro- 
tected after the swarming season. 

BEES MUTILATED BY WEB. 

Sometimes a half dozen young bees nearly mature will 
be removed alive, all webbed together, fastened by legs, 
wings, etc. All their efforts to break loose prove unavail- 



238 ENEMIES OP BEES. 

ing. Others may be seen running about with their wings 
mutilated, part of their legs eaten off, or tied together. 
These are often the first symptoms of worms at this season. 
(July and August.) Although unfavorable, it might be 
worse. It shows that the bees are not yet discouraged, 
that when they find the worms present, they have still 
sufficient energy to make an effort to rid themselves of the 
nuisance. Should the apiarian now give them a little as- 
sistance for a few days, they will soon be in a prosperous 
condition. The hive should be frequently raised, and ev- 
erything brushed out clean. If a new swarm part full 
presents these indications, it should be turned over, per- 
haps, once a week, till the worms are mastered, and the 
corners inside examined for the cocoons which may be 
easily detached and destroyed. 

In turning over a hive part full, in warm weather, you 
should first observe the position of the combs, and let the 
edges rest against the side of the hive, otherwise they 
may bend, and break loose when the hive is again set up. 

When a hive is full of combs, the edges are usually more 
firmly attached, and it is of less consequence which way it 
is turned ; yet in very warm weather the honey will run 
out of drone cells, if perpendicular. 

BEES FASTENED IN THE CELL. 

In very small swarms, hundreds of young bees may be 
frequently seen with their heads out of the cells, endeavor- 
ing to escape, but firmly held inside by moth webs. I 
have known a few instances in such circumstances, where 
it appeared as if the bees had designedly cut off the whole 
sheet of comb, and let it drop, thereby ridding themselves 
of all farther trouble. 



ENEMIES OP BEES. 239 

DIFFERENT APPEARANCE IN OLD STOCKS. 

But when the bees in old stocks make no effort to dis- 
lodge the enemy or his works, the case is somewhat 
desperate. We must look for something entirely different 
from the foregoing symptoms. But few young bees will 
be found. In their place we shall find the fosces of the 
worms dropped on the board. The chips dropped by the 
bees, in biting off the covering of the cells, to get at the 
honey, closely resemble them. To detect the difference 
requires close inspection. The color of the foeces varies 
with the color of the combs on which the worms feed, 
from white to brown and black. The size of these grains 
will vary in proportion to the size of the worm, from a 
mere speck to nearly as large as a jnn head ; shape cylin- 
drical, with obtuse ends, length about twice the diameter. 
By the quantity we can judge of the number of worms. 
If the hive is full of combs, the lower ends may appear 
perfect, while the middle or upper part is sometimes a mat 
of webs. 

Whenever our stocks have become reduced from over- 
swarming or other causes, the ravages of worms are to be 
expected. Here is another important reason for knowing 
the actual condition of our bees at all times ; we can de- 
tect the operations of the worms very soon after they 
commence. In some instances we can save the stock by 
breaking out most of the combs, leaving just enough to be 
covered by the bees. When success attends this operation, 
it must be performed before the worms have made a per- 
manent lodgment. When the stock is weak, and appear- 
ances indicate the presence of many worms, it will be the 
least trouble in the end, and generally, the safest method, 
to drive out the bees at once, and secure the honey and 
wax. The bees may do a little, if put into a new hive, 
but if they should do nothing, it would be no worse than 
to leave them in the old hive till the worms had destroyed 




240 ENEMIES OE BEES. 

all, and matured a few thousand moths in addition to those 
otherwise produced, thereby multiplying the chances of 
damage to other stocks a thousand fold. It is probably 
remembered that I said, when bees are removed from a 
hive in warm weather, that if the hive were not infested 
with worms at the time, it soon would be, unless smoked 
with sulphur. 

WORJIS GROW LARGER WHEN UNDISTURBED. 

In a hive thus left without bees, the worms will grow 
one-half or two two-thirds larger than when their right to 
-^ the comb is disputed. In one case 
IBB, they often make their growth, 
vS^ and actually wiud up in their 
cocoon, when less than an inch 

Fig. 1.— MOTH-WORM. . ■, ,, . ,, , , ,, .,, 

° in length; m the other, they will 

quietly fatten till they are an inch and a half long, and as 
large as a pipe-stem. 

When first hatched from the egg it is difficult to dis- 
cern them with the naked eye. Their rapidity of growth 
depends as much, or more, on the temperature in which 
they are, than upon their good living. A few days of hot 
weather, may develop the full-grown worm, while it would 
require weeks and even months in a lower temperature. 

The worm, after jgh 

spinning its co- 'IhS 

coon, soon changes / ;/ flBk 

into a chrysalis, -§^^'^f ■f !: ir , 
and remains inac- ? ^g|j|X 
tive for several '*liSgm> 

days, when it 

makes an opening Fig. 29.— cocoons of the moth worm. 
in one end, and crawls out. The time necessary for this 
transformation is also governed by the temperature, al- 
though, I think but few ever pass the winter in this state. 




ENEMIES OP BEES. 241 

A moth will rarely be found before the end of May, and 
not many are seen till the middle of June ; but after this 
time they are more numerous till the end of the season. 

FREEZING DESTROYS THEM. 

It is well demonstrated that the moth, its eggs, larva?, 
etc., cannot pass the winter without warmth sufficient to 
prevent freezing. It can be shown thus. Take all the 
bees out of a hive in the fall, and without disturbing the 
honey and comb, put it in a cold chamber where it can 
freeze thoroughly. In the following March, introduce 
bees, and when not contiguous to a stock containing 
worms, not a single worm will be produced before the 
middle of June, or until the eggs of some moth matured 
in another hive have had time to hatch. Such hives may 
be kept for swarms, without any appearance of worms. 

The discovery that Avorms and eggs can be frozen to 
death, has led to a plan by which the whole race of 
moths can be exterminated from an apiary, and only re- 
appear from those of neighbors. When aided by mov- 
able combs, it is entirely practicable. I have tried it to 
some extent, but since learning that the Italians resisted 
the moth so much more effectually than the natives, I 
have not practiced it extensively. 

EXTERMINATION OP THE MOTH. 

It is simply to expose the combs, free from bees, to a 
temperature of 18° below freezing, for ten to twenty 
hours after they are once thoroughly cold. To describe 
more minutely, I would say that during December or early 
in January, before the bees have much brood, is the best 
time. 

Take the hive to a dark room, using artificial light to 

keep the bees from flying. Take out one comb, with honey 

enough to last for several days, and put it in an empty 

hive. Set over this, another empty one of the same size, 

11 



242 ENEMIES OF BEES. 

■without top or bottom. Take out the next frame, and hold 
it down in the top hive, and shake or brush the bees into 
the lower one. As the frames should be put back into the 
hive in the same relative position, it is well to number 
them before any are removed. 

When the bees have been taken from all the combs in 
turn, the latter may be put aAvay to freeze. Each comb 
should be separated from the others, at least several 
inches, unless they can have plenty of time to freeze. 

Combs, close together as they are in the hive, will re- 
main warm a long time. After being sufficiently frozen, 
they must be warmed for several hours before they are in 
proper condition to receive the bees. The comb left with 
the bees must undergo the same process. If preferred, pne 
half the combs may be taken first, and then changed for 
the other half. In case you have more good colonies than 
you care to keep, you may kill the bees, freeze the combs, 
and transfer the colonies into them to remain ; it will save 
transferring once. 

The bees, not comprehending what all the shaking is a- 
bout, will become very indignant at the unnecessary abuse, 
especially when it is repeated at the second transfer. 

Could a cheap freezing mixture of proper intensity be 
applied for a length of time sufficient to freeze to the cen- 
tre, the operation might be performed in November, or as 
soon as all the brood is hatched. 

If all the bee-keepers in a neighborhood, town or county, 
could be induced to do this perseveringly for a year or 
two, it is plain that the extermination would be so nearly 
complete, that it would take a long time for the moths to 
regain their former position. 

Any one situated a goodly distance from neighboring 
bees, would find the summer pretty well advanced before 
there was even any appearance of moths. What the dif- 
ference would be, on the average, in the prosperity of our 



ENEMIES OF BEES. 243 

bees, betwen those free from moths, and those, as ordinarily 
troubled with them, must be guess-work. It is evident 
that it is sometimes not less than one-fourth or one-third. 
These remarks are with reference to the black bees. The 
Italians take care of themselves so well that much trouble 
in this respect is unnecessary. 

SELDOM ENTIRELY EXEMPT EST ORDINARY MANAGEMENT. 

But hives in which bees are wintered in the usual way, 
are seldom or never exempt. It is probably impossible to 
winter bees without preserving some eggs, or a few worms, 
at the same time. The perfect moth probably never sur- 
vives the winter; the only place in which the chrysalis 
would be safe, I think must be in the vicinity of the bees, 
and a good stock will never allow it there, — but eggs it 
would appear are suffered to remain. In the fall, at the 
approach of cold weather, the bees are apt to leave the 
ends of the combs exposed. The moth can enter, and de- 
posit her eggs directly upon them ; these together with 
what are carried in by means before suggested, will insure 
a good supply for the coming season. 

The warmth generated by the bees will keep these eggs 
from freezing. When warm weather approaches in the 
spring, those nearest the bees probably hatch first, com- 
mence their depredations, and are removed by the bees. 
As the bees increase and occupy more comb, more worms 
are hatched. In this way, even a small family will hatch 
and get rid of all the eggs that happen to be in their 
combs, and not be destroyed. This is the time that the 
apiarian may be of service in destroying the worms, as 
they are thrown on the floor by the bees. 

In July or August a single moth may enter an exposed 
hive, and deposit her burden of several hundred eggs as in 
the other case, but the heat from the bees is now unneces- 
sary to hatch them. The weather at this season will make 



244 ENEMIES OP BEES. 

any part of the hive warm enough to set her whole brood 
at work at once, and in three weeks all may be destroyed.* 
This, and the fact that more moths exist now than before, 
may account for the greater number of stocks destroyed 
at this season. Yet, it is considered extremely bad man- 
agement to allow honey or combs to be devoured by this 
disgusting creature. It is necessary to know the condition 
of the stocks to prevent their getting the start. These 
duties should be fully considered before we take the re- 
sponsibility of the care of bees. 

The only time when we can rest and feel safe is when we 
know that all our stocks are full of bees. Even the moth- 
proof hive containing combs will be scented out by the 
moth when there are no bees to guard it. An argument 
to show that a moth can go where a bee can, is unneces- 
sary, and a little observation will prove that her eggs 
sometimes go where she is not allowed. 

REMEDIES. 

But as we cannot always have our bees in proper condi- 
tion, it is well to adopt some of the means recommended 
to diminish the number of moths. In July and August it 
is a good plan to put a few pieces of old dry combs near 
the hives, in a box or other place, as a decoy, where the 
moth may have access. She will deposit a great many of 
her eggs here, instead of in the hive, and they can be 
easily destroyed. Make it a rule to destroy all the worms 
that can be found at any time, particularly in spring ; like- 
wise, all cocoons. A great many worms can be enticed to 
web up under a trap of elder, when it is an easy matter to 
dispatch them. Destroy all the moths that are seen about 
the hive. They are very much like the flea, " when you 
put your finger on him, he is not there ;" a careful move 
must be made, else she darts away. Probably the most 



* Worms create much warmth of themselves. 



wax. 245 

expeditious mode is to make them drunk. Mix with wa- 
ter just enough molasses and vinegar to make it palatable ; 
put it in saucers or other dishes, and set among the hives at 
night. Like nobler, if not wiser beings, when once they 
have tasted the fatal beverage, they seem to lose all power 
to leave the fascinating cup ; and give way to appetite and 
excitement till a fatal step plunges them into destruction. 
The next morning finds them yet wallowing in filth, weak 
and feeble. "Whether they would recover from the effects 
of their carousal, if lifted out of the mire, and carefully 
nursed like other specimens of creation, I never ascertain- 
ed. With but little trouble, a chicken or two can be 
taught to be on hand, and will greedily devour every one. 
Hundreds may be caught in this way, mixed with many 
other kinds. I have thought that this liquid answered a 
better purpose after it had fermented. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

WAX. 

The unreflecting observer, seeing the bees enter the hive 
with a pellet of pollen on each posterior leg, is very apt to 
conclude that it must be material for comb, as it does not 
resemble honey. There is so little thought on the subject 
that they do not imagine any other use for it. Others 
suppose that it will change to honey after being stored in 
the hive a while, and wonder at the curious phenomenon, 
but when asked how long a time must elapse before it 
takes place, they cannot tell exactly, but they " have found 
cells where it began to change, as a portion near the outer 
end of the cell had become honey, and, no doubt, the re- 
mainder would, in time." This conclusion has doubtless 



246 wax. 

arisen from the fact, that cells only about two-thirds full 
of pollen, are often finished with honey. 

WHAT IS IT? 

Those who contend that combs are made of pollen, 
would probably abandon the idea, after seeing the bees be- 
longing to a hive filled to the last inch with comb, collect- 
ing and bringing home just as much pollen as those belong- 
ing to a hive half full. The question as to where the bee 
gets wax to construct its combs, is very much like asking 
where the cow gets her milk, or the ox his tallow. I be- 
lieve all close observers agree that wax is a secretion nat- 
ural only to the bee. Honey, and syrup made of sugar 
are probably the only substances from which they secrete 
it. From experiments with them, Huber has decided that 
either of these substances, mixed with a little water, is all 
sufficient for its production. From experiments of my 
own, I am satisfied that he is correct, and that pollen is 
unnecessary. The experiment may be tried by shutting 
up a swarm when first hived, and feeding them with honey 
only. A few of the bees will probably have some pollen, 
though not enough to make a comb three inches square, 
and to be certain, time must be- given them to exhaust it. 
In three or four days take out the bees, and remove the 
combs ; enclose them again, and feed as before. 

Repeat the process, until satisfied that no pollen is 
needed in the composition of wax. Huber removed the 
combs five times with the same result at every trial. 
Whenever bees are confined in hot weather, air and water 
are absolutely necessary. 

HOW IT IS OBTAINED. 

We will now describe the first appearance of wax and 
how it is produced. When a swarm of bees is about 
leaving the parent-stock, three-fourths or more of them will 




wax. 247 

fill their sacs with honey. When located in their new 
home, of course, no cells exist to hold it, and it must re- 
main in the sac or stomach for several hours. The con- 
sequence is, that thin white scales of wax, one sixteenth 
of an inch in diameter, somewhat circular, are formed be- 
tween the rings of the abdomen, on the under side. 
Fig. 30 shows the abdomen of the bee, enlarged, 
with the scales of wax between the rings. With 
the claws of one of their hind-legs, one of these 
is detached and conveyed to the mouth, and then 
Fig. 30. pinched with their forceps or teeth until one edge 
becomes somewhat rough ; it is then applied to the comb 
being constructed, or to the roof of the hive. The first 
rudiments of comb, are often to be seen within the first 
half hour after the swarm is hived. Transferring the 
swarms to other hives from one to forty-eight hours after 
being hived, will show their progress. 

COMMENCEMENT OF A COM3. 

I have found that wax is attached to the top of the hive, 
at first, without the least order, until some of the blocks 
or lumps are sufficiently advanced for them to begin cells. 
The scales of wax are welded together, without regard to 
the shape of the cell, then an excavation is made on one 
side for the bottom of a cell, and two others on the oppo- 
site side, the division between them being opposite the 
centre of the first. When this piece of comb is an inch 
or two in length, two other pieces, at nearly equal distan- 
ces on each side, are commenced. If the swarm is large 
and honey abundant, it is common for two pieces of comb 
to be started at one time, on different parts of the top ; 
the sheets in the two places are as often at right angles, 
as parallel, or any other way just as chance directs them. 
The little lumps that are deposited at random, at first, are 
removed as they proceed. 



248 -wax. 

While the combs are in progress, the bases of the cells 
near the edge are always kept much the thickest, and are 
worked down to the proper thickness with their teeth, and 
polished smooth as glass. The ends of the cells also, as 
they lengthen them, will always be found much thicker 
when finished, than any other part of them. 

In the History of Insects, published by Harper, is a 
minute account of the first foundation of combs, somewhat 
amusing, if not instructive. 

Huber, it is said, " having provided a hive with honey 
and water, it was resorted to, in crowds, by bees, who hav- 
ing satisfied their appetite, returned to the hive. They 
formed festoons, remained motionless for twenty-four 
hours, and after a time scales of wax appeared. An ade- 
quate supply of wax for the construction of a comb, hav- 
ing been elaborated, one of them disengaged itself from 
the centre of the group, and clearing a space about an inch 
in diameter, at the top of the hive, applied the pincers of 
one of its legs to its side, detached a scale of wax, and 
immediately began to mince it with the tongue. During 
the operation, this organ was made to assume every variety 
of shape ; sometimes it appeared like a trowel, then flat- 
tened like a spatula, and at other times like a pencil, end- 
ing in a point. The scale, moistered with a frothy liquid, 
became glutinous, and was drawn out like a ribbon. This 
bee then attached all the wax it could concoct to the vault 
of the hive, and went its way. A second now succeeded, 
and did the like ; a third followed, but owing to some 
blunder, did not put the wax in the same line with its pre- 
decessor, upon which, another bee apparently sensible of 
the defect, removed the displaced wax, and carrying it to 
the former heap, deposited it there, exactly in the order 
and direction pointed out." — 

Now, I have some criticisms to make on this account. 
First, in the usual course of swarming, it is unnecessary 



was. 249 

to provide the honey and water, as they come laden with 
honey from the parent-hive. Next, to form festoons, and 
remain motionless twenty-four hours to concoct the wax, 
is not their custom. They either swallow the honey long 
enough before leaving home, to have the wax ready, or 
less time than twenty-four hours is necessary to produce it. 
I have frequently found lumps, about the size of a piu-head, 
attached to a branch of a tree where they had clustered, 
when they had not been there over twenty-five minutes. 1 
have had occasion many times to change the swarm to an- 
other tenement, an hour or two after they were hived, and 
have found places on the top nearly covered with wax. 
How he managed to see a bee " quit the group," or to as- 
certain that the tongue was the only instrument used in 
moulding the scale of wax, is more than I can comprehend. 
To witness the whole process in all its rninutite, in this 
stage of comb making has never been my good fortune, 
and I am sometimes inclined to doubt the success of oth- 
ers. I have had glass hives and put swarms in them, and 
always found the first rudiments of comb so entirely cov- 
ered with bees, as to be unable to see anything of the 
operation. The only time when I have been able to wit- 
ness the process, with any degree of satisfaction, has been 
when the combs approached the glass and there were but 
few bees in the way, then, with a little patience, some part 
of the process may be seen. 

When two combs approach each other in the middle of 
the hive at right angles or nearly so, they are not joined ; 
but when at an obtuse angle, the edges are generally 
united, making a crooked sheet of comb. It is evident, 
that where the two combs join, there must be sOme irregu- 
lar cellSj unfit for rearing brood. 



250 wax. 

crooked combs. 

Crooked combs do not seem to affect the prosperity of 
the hive. Combs built in the Cross Bar or Movable Comb 
Hive, are usually straight when the under side of each bar 
is brought to an edge like a knife. But there are excep- 
tions enough to almost annul the rule, in ordinary manage- 
ment. It is found, however, that a smooth sharp edge is 
followed much better than a rough one. Sometimes, after 
combs are started straight, the bees will take some other 
direction, and by the time the combs reach the bottom of 
the hive, they may be at right angles with their course at 
the top. 

STKAIGHT COMBS. 

I recently made the discovery, that if one end of the 
hive was elevated 30°, straight combs would be the result 
throughout, especially if the hive were perfectly level the 
other way. 

Sometimes there will be corners and spaces not wide 
enough for two combs, and too wide for one of the proper 
thickness for breeding. As bees generally use all their room 
to the best advantage, a thick comb will be the result, and 
when used for breeding, the cells are cut down to the 
proper length. 

QUANTITY OF HONEY TAKEN BY A SWARM. 

A large swarm will probably carry some five or six 
pounds of honey from the mother colony. It is impossible 
to determine the exact amount as the Weight of the bees 
is very uncertain. 

"I can tell you," some one exclaims, "I saw some 
weighed — so many weigh just eight ounces. Are you 
sure that nothing else was weighed — no honey, bee-bread, 
foeces, or other substances ? " Can't say, — never thought 
of that." It is important, if we wish to know the weight 



wax. 251 

of bees alone, that we weigh nothing else. It is evident, 
if a few thousand weigh three pounds, when nothing is in 
their sacs, that they would weigh several pounds more, 
when filled with honey. Hence, the fallacy of judging of 
the size of a swarm by weight, as one swarm might issue 
with half as much honey as another. Perhaps eight pounds 
would be a correct average for the weight of bees and ho- 
ney, in large swarms. This honey whatever it amounts to, 
cannot be stored, till combs are constructed to hold it. 
This principle holds good till the hive is full. That is, 
whenever they have more honey than the combs will hold, 
and there is room, they will construct more comb. But 
they seem to go no farther than this in comb-making. 
However large the swarm may be, this compulsion appears 
necessary to fill the hive. 

MAKTNG DRONE CELLS. 

Drone-cells are seldom made in the top of the hive, but 
some are generally joined on the worker cells, a little dis- 
tance from the top ; others near the bottom. There seems 
to be no rule about the number of such cells. Some hives 
will contain twice as many as others. It may depend on 
the yield of honey at the time ; if plenty, more drone-cells, 
and vice versa. It has been suggested that more drone- 
cells are built while filling the hive, when the swarm has 
an old queen. If the hive be very large, no doubt an un- 
profitable number will be constructed. Where the large 
and small cells join, there will be some of irregular shape ; 
some with four or five angles. Even where two combs of 
cells, the same size, join, making a straight comb, they are 
not always perfect. 

SOME WAX WASTED. 

When constructing comb, they are constantly wasting 
wax, either accidentally or voluntarily. The next morning 



252 wax. 

after a swarm is located, the scales may be found, and will 
continue to increase as long as they are working it ; the 
quantity often amounts to a handful or more. It is the 
best test of comb-making that I can give. Clean off the 
board, and look the next morning, you will find the scales 
in proportion to their progress. Some will be nearly 
round as at first ; others more or less worked up, and a 
part like fine saw-dust. 

WATER NECESSARY. ' 

Whenever bees are engaged in making comb, a supply 
of water is absolutely necessary. When no pond or 
stream is Avithin convenient distance, the apiarian will find 
it economical to place water within their reach. As the 
necessity for it always occurs in a busy season, it will save 
much valuable time. It should be so situated, that the 
bees may obtain it without danger ; a barrel or pail has 
sides so steep, that a great many will slip in and drown. 
A trough made very shallow, with a broad strip around 
the edge to afford an alighting place, should be provided. 
It should contain a float, or a few shavings scattered in the 
water, with a few small stones laid on them to keep them 
from blowing away. A tin dish, an inch or two in depth, 
will answer very well. The quantity needed, may be easily 
ascertained ; — give them just enough, and change it daily. 
I have no trouble of this kind, as there is a stream of wa- 
ter within a few rods of my hives ; but I have an oppor- 
tunity to observe the number engaged in carrying it. 
Thousands may be seen in June and August filling their 
sacs, while a continuous stream of bees is on the Aving, 
going and returning. 

CELLS UNIFORM EST SIZE. 

The exact and uniform size of their cells is perhaps as 
great a mystery as anything pertaining to bees ; yet we 



wax. 253 

meet the second wonder before we are done with the first. 

In building comb, they have no square and compass as 
a guide ; no master mechanic takes the lead, measuring 
and marking for the workmen ; each individual bee is a 
finished mechanic ! ISTo time is l<?st in apprenticeship, no 
service given in return for instruction. Each is accom- 
plished from birth ! What one begins, a dozen may unite 
to finish ! Each specimen of their work may be taken as 
a model! He, who arranged the Universe, was their in- 
structor. Yes, a profound geometrician planned the first 
cell, and knowing what would be their wants, implanted in 
the sensorium of the first bee, an instinctive knowledge of 
all things necessary to its welfare, which remains unim- 
paired in its latest descendant. 

They need no lectures on domestic economy to tell 
them that the use of the base of one set of cells, on one 
side of the comb, for the base of those on the opposite 
side, will save both labor and wax ;-' no mathematician, 
that a pyramidal base, with just three angles, and just such 
an inclination, is the exact shape needed, and will take 
much less wax than if round or square — that the three- 
angled base of one cell, forms a part of the base of three 
other cells on the opposite side of the comb — that each of 
the six sides of one cell, forms one side of six others — that 
these angles and these only would answer the ends re- 
quired. 

" The bees appear," says Reaumur, " to have a problem 
to solve, which would puzzle many a mathematician. A 
quantity of matter, being given, it is required to form out 
of it cells, which shall be equal and similar, and of a de- 
terminate size, but the largest possible with relation to 
the matter employed, while they shall occupy the least 
possible space." 

How little does the epicure heed when feasting on the 
fruits of their industry, that each morsel tasted, must de- 



254 wax. 

stroy the most perfect specimens of workmanship ! That 
in a moment he demolishes what it has taken hours, yes, 
days and weeks of assidious toil and labor to accomplish. 

MESSING OF COMBS. 

When extreme hot weather occurs immediately after 
the bees have been gathering from a plentiful harvest for 
two or three weeks, or even during the yield, the wax 
composing new combs is very liable to be softened, till 
they break loose from their fastenings and settle to the 
bottom. The first indications of such an accident, when 
the hive is half or two-thirds full, are : clusters of bees on 
the outside, and honey running out at the bottom. 

Sometimes the injury is trifling, only a piece or two 
slipping down ; at other times the whole contents fall in a 
confused and broken mass, the weight pressing out the 
honey, and besmearing the bees, which, being thus soiled, 
creep out and away from the hive in every direction. 

I once had some stocks ruined, and others injured in 
this way, by hot w r eather, about the first of September, 
immediately after the buckwheat season. The bees, or 
most of them, being covered with honey, together with 
what ran out of the hive, at once attracted others to the 
spot, who carried off the entire contents in a few hours. 
This was an uncommon occurrence ; I have known but 
one season in twenty-five years, when it occurred after the 
failure of honey from the flowers. It usually happens 
during a copious yield, and then other bees are not apt to 
be troublesome by robbing. 

To prevent such mishaps, ventilate by raising the hives 
on little blocks at the corners, and effectually protect them, 
from the sun ; if necessary, wet the outside of the hive 
with cold water. After the loss of those before mentioned, 
I kept the rest of the new hives wet, through the mid- 
dle of the day, and I have no doubt but that I saved sev- 



wax. 255 

eral by the means. I had some trouble with those in 
which only a piece or two had fallen, and started just 
honey enough to attract robbers. It was not safe to close 
the hive to exclude them, as this would have increased the 
heat, and proved certain destruction. 

The best protection I found was a few stems of asparagus 
around the bottom of the hive ; this permitted a circulation 
of air, and at the same time made it very difficult for the 
robbers to approach the entrance, without creeping through 
this hedge, and with this assistance the bees of the hive 
defended themselves, till all wasting honey was taken up. 

When the hive is nearly full, and but one or two sheets 
come down, their lower edges will rest on the floor, and the 
other combs will keep them in an upright position, until 
fastened by the bees. It is generally best to leave such 
pieces as they are. If the hive is but half full or little 
more, and such pieces are not kept perpendicular by the 
remaining combs, they are apt to be broken and crushed 
badly, by falling so far, and most of the honey will be 
wasted. To save this, it must be removed, unless it can 
be caught in a dish. Be careful not to turn the hive on 
its side, and thus break the remaining combs. Such combs 
as contain brood and little honey, may be left for the brood 
to mature. Should the bees be able tf^ take up the honey 
without much waste occurring, it would be advisable to 
leave it ; it would assist greatly in filling up. But these 
broken pieces should be removed before they interfere 
with the extension of the other combs. A part of the 
bees is generally destroyed, but the majority will escape ; 
even such as are covered with honey, if they are not 
crushed, will clean it off, and soon be in working order, 
when others do not too officiously assist in removing it. 
An ample yield of honey is the best protection against this 
disposition to pillage. After the first year, combs become 
thicker, and are not so liable to give way. 



256 propolis. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

PPvOPOLIS. 

The origin of propolis is a subject upon which apiarians 
fail to agree. It is asserted by some that, when the bees 
need it, they always have it, and therefore they contend 
that it is elaborated like wax ; while others believe it to 
be a resinous gum, exuding from certain trees, and col- 
lected by the bees, in the same manner as pollen. 

now OBTAINED. 

Huber tells us that, " near the outlet of one of his hives 
he placed some of the branches of the poplar, which exudes 
a transparent garnet-colored juice. Several workers were 
soon seen perched upon these branches ; having detached 
some of this resinous gum, they formed it into pellets, and 
deposited them in the baskets of their thighs; thus loaded, 
they flew to the hive, where some of their fellow-laborers 
instantly came to assist them in detaching this viscid sub- 
stance from their baskets." 

I am convinced tjjat it is a natural secretion of some 
kinds of trees, as 4 Have seen the bees collecting it, and 
have frequently seen them enter the hive with what ap- 
peared to be the pure article on their legs, resembling pol- 
len, except that the surface is smooth and glossy. It is of 
much lighter color when new, than it is after it gets a 
little age. 

HOW DISCHARGED. 

I have also seen bees through the glass, when they 
seemed unable to dislodge it themselves, and were contin- 
ually running around among those engaged in soldering 



propolis. 257 

and plastering. "When one required a little, it seized the 
pellet with its forceps, and detached a portion. The whole 
lump will not cleave off at once, but firmly adhere to the 
leg, and from its tenacity, a string an inch long, will some- 
times be formed in separating. The piece obtained is im- 
mediately applied to their work, and the bee is ready to 
supply another with a portion. It doubtless gets rid of 
its whole load in this way, but it is difficult to watch the 
whole process, as the bee is soon lost among its fellows. 

The buds of many trees are protected from the ele- 
ments, by a kind of gum or resinous coating. It may 
be found in many species of Popuhis, particularly the 
Balsam Poplar {Populus balsamifera) and the variety 
(candicans) known as the Balm of Gilead. By boiling 
the buds of these trees an aromatic gum or resin may be 
obtained, the odor of which is very similar to that emitted 
by propolis when first gathered by the bees, or when it is 
heated afterwards. 

This substance is used to solder up all the cracks, flaws, 
and irregularities about the hive. A coat is spread over 
the inside throughout ; when the hive is full, and many 
bees cluster outside the latter part of summer, they also 
spread a coating there. A layer seems to be annually ap- 
plied, as old hives are coated with a thickness proportion- 
ate to their age, provided they have been occupied by a 
strong family. 

It differs materially from wax, being more tenacious, 
and much harder, when old. 

NEW SWARMS SOMETIMES USE WAX INSTEAD. 

Our first swarms that issue in May or first of June, sel- 
dom use much of the pure article for soldering and plaster- 
ing, but use instead a composition, most of which is wax. 
I have noticed at this season, when pieces of old hives 
were left in the sun, that this old propolis would become 



258 propolis. 

soft, and that the bees would gather it, packing it on their 
legs, the same as they do pollen. It is detached in small 
particles, and the process of packing can be distinctly seen, 
as the bee does not fly during the operation, as when pack- 
ing pollen. 

If you squeeze a piece of dry comb together, in a hot 
day, making a compact ball, and leave it near the hives, 
the Italians will carry it away in a short time ; using it as 
they do propolis. 

MOKE ABUNDANT EST AUQUST. 

In August they use a hundred-fold more propolis than 
in June, and at this time they manifest no disposition to 
gather any from the old boards, etc. It would seena 
that they prefer the new article which they now have in 
abundance. Boxes filled in June, contain but very little, 
sometimes none. But when filled in August, the corners, 
and sometimes the top and sides are well lined. Cracks, 
large enough for the bees to pass through, are sometimes 
completely filled with it. 

The reason of its being collected in greater abundance 
at this season may perhaps be found in the fact, that the 
buds of trees and shrubs are now generally formed. 

So few bees are engaged in collecting it, that it is diffi- 
cult to detect one in the act, but by persevering watchful- 
ness, they may sometimes be seen, particularly in August. 

This is but one of the many branches of apiarian sci- 
ence, which are sadly neglected. So much error is min- 
gled with the truth, that nothing but the most patient 
scrutiny, and untiring investigation, can separate them. 



TRANSFERRING. 259 



CHAPTER XIX. 

TRANSFERRING. 
If there is no other object in transferring bees intended 
to be kept in swarming hives, than simply to have them in 
a situation to look at, it is of doubtful utility. But when 
any other motives can be adduced, it will pay better. If 
you wish to Italianize your bees, or to get them in such 
condition that you can readily and safely make artificial 
swarms, you probably cannot do better than to change a 
part of them to movable comb-hives. It is not a very 
formidable operation to transfer combs, brood, and honey, 
as well as bees. 

PKEPARATION. 

Prepare the frames without the triangular bar at the 
top, as directed in the chapter on hives. A part of them 
should have a second bar, one inch wide, by one-fourth 
inch thick, some placed a little above, and others a little 

= . . below the centre. 

V For each frame 
) v you will want from 
/ ) two to four pairs 

Fig. 31. — PIECE USED TO STEADY THE COMBS of thin nai'l'OW 
IN TRANSFORATION AND TRANSFERRING. str i pS _ ne-fourth 

inch square will do. They should be j ust half an inch longer 
than the height of the frames, projecting one-quarter inch 
above and below. Cut a small notch in each end to hold 
a piece of twine, with which they are to be tied together. 



April is usually the best season. There is then the 
least, honey in the way, and not often much brood. Two 
or three weeks after the first swarm, is also a good time. 



260 TRANSFERRING. 

It is practicable at any time, except in very cold weather. 
The more honey and brood there are present, the more care 
is required. 

HOW TO no IT. 

When ready to operate, if the weather is cool, warm a 
couple of empty hives, and choose, if possible, a strong 
colony with straight combs. Take the hive from the yard, 
and set one of the empty hives on the stand to catch any 
bees returning from the field, if you operate when any are 
flying, and proceed to drive out the bees as directed in 
the chapter on pruning. After the bees are out of the 
way, take the hive to a warm room and remove one side. 
Have ready a wide board, on which are spread smoothly 
several thicknesses of cloth, on which, lay two or three 
of your small strips ; and having loosened a comb from its 
fastening, lay it upon them. The yielding surface will pre- 
vent the bruising of the combs. Now measure the comb 
with the frame ; if large enough to fill it, mark and trim 
it off exactly to fit. If too small, take .one of the frames 
that has a partition through it ; it will fit some of them. 
When the frame is filled, whether with one piece or sever- 
al, tie enough of the strips on each side to hold the comb 
in place, and raise the frame to a perjjendicular position. 
I have used twine- to wind around the frame and combs, 
instead of fastening with wood, but do not like it as well. 
These pieces of wood are also just what is needed to 
steady the combs in full colonies, when they are to be 
transported long distances. 

KEEP BROOD TOGETHER. 

When transferring combs containing brood, it will not 
do to separate them, — scattering it all through the hive — 
unless in hot weather. In cool weather the bees must 
keep it warm, which they cannot do unless it is all in one 



TBAKSFEEEING. 



261 




262 TEANSFEKKIIfG. 

place. Let the combs occupy the same relative position 
that they did in the original hive. 

caution. 

When all is arranged, if no bees are flying, set the new 
hive on the floor in a dark room, with the front raised, 
shake the bees down by it and they will readily enter. 
The next morning, return it to the old stand. If bees are 
at work and there is a scarcity of honey, get what bees 
you have in the hive into which they were driven, to enter 
the new hive, and as soon as they have licked up all the 
dripping honey, which will take an hour or two, return them 
to the stand, taking care that no honey is left on the out- 
side of the hive to attract robbers. A very little might 
excite plundering, and the transferred colony is in a bad 
condition to repel such attacks. 

It would be well to almost close the entrance, allowing 
room for only one bee to pass at a time. If the colony 
is a strong one and covers all the combs, they will weld all 
the combs together wherever they touch each other, and 
also where they come in contact with the frames, in a very 
few days, when the frames may be taken out, and the 
splints that held the combs in place, removed. 

There will frequently be occasions when it is desirable 
to transfer only the bees to a new hive, or to a hive with 
empty combs. The combs, where the bees are, may be old, 
or contain diseased brood. If it is only old, and is healthy, 
you need only to drive out the bees, and introduce imme- 
diately. But should it be otherwise, as when the bees 
have been wintered in diseased combs, with the intention 
of transferring in early spring to hives containing combs 
and honey, reserved for this purpose in the fall, it can be 
done thus. First, drive the bees into an empty hive pre- 
viously made warm. If all do not go in readily, break out 
the combs and brush them in. A less number of bees will 



SAGACITY OF BEES. 263 

be wasted if you work in a dark room, and use a candle or 
lamp. If preferred, there would be no harm done, if the bees 
were first paralyzed with Puff-ball, yet the combs might have 
to be broken out to get the few bees sticking between them, 
at this season — spring — it is well to save every bee. 
Keep them in the empty hive until the honey taken with 
them from the diseased hive is consumed — thirty-six or 
forty-eight hours. The hive to receive the bees perma- 
nently, should be brought into a warm room several hours 
previously. If bees are to be put into an empty hive, it 
should be done in warm weather. 



CHAPTER XX. 



SAGACITY OF BEES. 



On this subject I have but little to say, as I have failed 
to discover any individual manifestations of shrewdness- or 
sagacity, that all swarms would not exhibit under similar 
circumstances. 

TOO MARVELGTJS- 

Writers, with a great love of the marvelous, are not 
content with their astonishing displays of instinct, but 
must add a share of reason to their other faculties, and 
profess to discover " an adaptation of means to ends that 
reason alone can produce." It is very true, that without 
close inspection, and comparison of the conduct of differ- 
ent swarms in similar cases, one might arrive at such a 
conclusion. It is difficult, as all will admit, " to tell where 
instinct ends, and reason begins." Instances of sagacity 
like the following, have been recorded. 



SAGACITY OF BEES. 
INSTANCES OF SAGACITY. 

"When the weather is warm, and the heat inside is 
somewhat oppressive, a number of bees may be seen sta- 
tioned around the entrance, vibrating their wings. Those 
inside will turn their heads towards the passage, while 
those outside will turn theirs the other way. A constant 
agitation of the air is thus created, thereby ventilating the 
hive more effectually." 

All populous stocks do this in hot weather. 

Again. " A snail had entered the hive, and fixed itself 
against the glass side. Being unable to penetrate it with 
their stings, the cunning economists fixed it immovably by 
merely cementing the edge of the orifice of the shell to 
the glass with resin (propolis), and thus it became a 
prisoner for life." 

ISTow, the same instinct that prompts the collection of 
propolis in August to fill every crack, flaw, and inequality 
about the hive, would use it to cement the edges of the 
snail-shell to the glass, and a small stone, block of wood, 
or any substance that they are unable to remove, is fastened 
with it in the same manner. The lower edges of the hive, 
when in close proximity to the bottom, are joined to it 
with this substance. The stoppers of the holes in the top 
are thus fixed in their places ; and the published instance 
of the unaccountable " sagacity," that once fastened close 
a little door on the top of a hive, may be nothing more 
than a result of this instinctive habit. 

Other instances of " wonderful sagacity " will, I think, 
also be found simply to be individual examples of their 
common customs. 

Whenever the combs in a hive have been broken, or 
when they have been added, as mentioned in Fall Manage- 
ment, the first act of the bees, is, to fasten them in their 
present position. When the edges are near the side of the 
hive, or two combs are in contact, a portion of wax is de- 



SAGACITY OP BEES. 265 

tached, and used for joining them together, or to the side. 
Where two combs do not touch, and yet are close to- 
gether, a small bar is constructed from one to the other, 
preventing any nearer approach. This may be observed 
by tipping the hive a few inches from the perpendicular, 
after being filled with combs in warm weather, and per- 
mitting it to remain thus for a few days. 

Should nearly all the combs in the hive become detached 
from any cause, and fall to the bottom in a mass of ruin, 
their first steps are, as just described, to construct pillars 
to keep them in the same shape. In warm weather they 
will, in a few days, have made passages throughout every 
part of the mass, by biting away the combs where they 
are in contact. Little columns of wax below, support the 
combs above, irregular to be sure, but as scientific as cir- 
cumstances will permit. The whole will be firmly fastened 
together, and not a single piece can be removed without 
breaking it from the others. 

NO PART OF THE HIVE INACCESSIBLE. 

A piece of comb filled with honey, and sealed up, may 
be put in a glass-box with the ends of these sealed cells, 
touching the glass. The principle of allowing no part of 
their tenement to be inaccessible, is soon manifested. They 
immediately bite off the ends of the cells, remove the 
honey that is in the way, and make a passage next to the 
glass, leaving a few bars from it to the comb, to steady 
and keep it in its position. A single sheet of comb lying 
flat on the bottom-board of a populous swarm is cut away 
on the under side, by passages in every direction, numer- 
ous little pillars of wax being left for its support. 

How any person in the habit of watching their proceed- 
ings, with any degree of attention, could conclude that 
the bees raised such comb by mechanical means, and then 
put the props under for its support, is somewhat singular. 
12 



266 SELECTING COLOOTES FOR WESTER. 

These things are none the less wonderful, when consid- 
ered as the result of instinct. I am not sure but the dis- 
play of wisdom is even greater than if the power of plan- 
ning their own operations had been given them. 

I have mentioned these examples to show that a course 
of action induced by the peculiar situation of one family, 
would be adopted by another in a similar emergency. 
Were I engaged in a work of fiction, I might let fancy 
reign, and endeavor to amuse, but this is not my object. 

WE SHOULD BE CONTENT WITH FACTS. 

Let us endeavor to be content with truth, and not mur- 
mur that her marvels are no greater. 

When we remember that the material for their combs is 
formed in the rings of their own bodies, and that, untaught, 
they detach it, and construct combs of the most beautiful 
symmetry, and that unbidden they go forth to the field 
to gather stores for the future use, we can but perceive 
that throughout the whole cycle of their operations, one 
law and one power governs, and whoever would seek that 
directing power, must look beyond the sensorium of the 
bee. 



CHAPTER XXI. 

SELECTING COLONIES FOR WINTER. 
FIRST CAKE 

When the flowers fail at the end of the season, it is ne- 
cessary to ascertain which are the weakest stocks, and all 
that cannot defend themselves should either be removed or 
reinforced. The strength of all stocks is apt to be thor- 
oughly tested within a few days after a failure of honey. 



SELECTING- COLONIES FOR "WINTER. 267 

Should any "be found with too few bees for defence, they 
are quite sure to be plundered. Hence the necessity of 
immediate action, that we may secure the contents in ad- 
vance of the robbers. 

STRONG COLONIES INCLINED TO ROB. 

Strong stocks, that during a yield, have occupied every 
cell with brood and honey, will, when it fails, soon have 
cells left empty by the hatching of the young bees. The 
want of honey to fill these empty cells, appears to be a 
source of much uneasiness. Although such hives may be 
well stored, I have ever found them much more disposed 
to plunder, than weaker ones with but half the honey. As 
very feeble families cannot be strengthened now, it is best 
to remove them at once, and put temptation out of the 
way. Carelessness is but a sorry excuse for allowing bees 
to establish this habit of dishonesty. Should any stocks 
be weak from disease, the consequences would be even 
more disastrous than bad habits. The reasons why such 
impure honey should not go into thrifty stocks, have al- 
ready been given. If we want the least possible trouble 
with our bees, none but the best should be selected for 
winter. • 

REQUISITES OP GOOD STOCKS. 

But the requisites of a good stock, seem to be but par- 
tially understood. Judging from the number lost annually, 
too many bee-keepers are careless or ignorant in making 
the selection. They seem to think that because a stock 
has once been good, it will- remain so. The condition of 
bees is so changeable, especially in the summer and swarm- 
ing season, that this idea should never be entertained. 
We must Jc?iow their present condition by actual examina- 
tion. 

The requisites of a good stock are, a hive of propel 



268 SELECTING COLONIES FOR WINTER. 

shape and size, (viz. : 2000 cubic inches) full of combs, 
well stored with honey, a large family of bees, and freedom 
from disease, which must be ascertained by actual inspec- 
tion. The age is not important, until they are ten years 
old. Stocks possessing these essentials can be wintered 
with but little trouble. But it cannot be expected that 
all will be in this condition. Many bee-keepers wish to 
increase their numbers and would like to keep all that they 
can, practicably. Many deficiencies can be supplied, with 
a little attention, and I shall endeavor to show that it is 
profitable to do so until the number of bees kept is too 
great for the supply of honey. 

All can understand why it is a loss for bees to eat honey 
part of the winter and then die — that the honey consumed 
might have been saved, and that it makes no great differ- 
ence to the bees, whether they are killed in the fall, or 
starve in the winter. I am not an advocate for fire and 
brimstone as the reward of all unfortunate stocks, and 
shall recommend it only when it is unavoidable. We will- 
see how far it can be dispensed with. 

DISADVANTAGE OF KILLING BEES. 

Those rustic bee-keepers who are in the habit of making 
their hives large enough to hold from 100 to 150 pounds, 
killing the bees in the fall, and sending the honey to 
market, will probably continue the use of sulphur, unless 
we can convince them that it is far better to make the hive 
smaller, and have fifty or eighty pounds of this honey in 
boxes, which will sell for more money, and at the same 
time save their bees for stock hives. When the hives are 
of the proper size, the honey is not equivalent in value to 
the bees. 

CAUSE OF POOR COLONIES VARIES IN DIFFERENT SECTIONS. 

The particular deficiency of weak stocks depends some- 
what on the section of country. Where the principal 



SELECTING COLONIES FOR WINTER. 269 

source of honey is Clover or Basswood, it will fail, parti- 
ally at least, before the end of warm weather. Some poor 
or medium stocks will continue to rear brood too exten- 
sively for their means, and exhaust their winter stores in 
consequence ; such will need a supply of honey. 

But where great quantities of Buckwheat are sown, 
cool weather follows almost immediately after the yield, 
and stops the breeding. Consequently, in such localities, 
a scarcity of bees is more common than a lack of honey. 
If there are bees enough at the 1st of September, there 
will usually be plenty of honey. There are exceptional 
cases in all localities. 

It is common to have stocks with stores amply sufficient 
to carry a good family through the winter, and too few' 
bees to last till January, or even to defend themselves 
from robbers, hence bees are more frequently to be sup- 
plied, than honey. 

POOR STOCKS MAY EE UNITED. 

It is usual to have a few hives with too little honey, as 
well as too few bees. It is very plain, that if the bees of 
one or more of this class were united successfully with 
some of the former, we should have a respectable family. 
I have thus united stocks that proved first rate. 

WHEN IT IS NOT BEST. 

Whenever we make additions in this manner, it would 
be well first to ascertain the cause of a scarcity of bees ; 
if it is over-swarming, barren or drone queen, or loss of 
queen, it is well enough ; but if it is from disease, reject 
them, unless the bees are to be transferred the next spring, 
and even then, if so many cells are occupied with dead 
brood, that the bees cannot be successfully wintered. The 
greatest difficulty in uniting two or more families in this 
manner, arises from their belonging in the same apiary, 



270 SELECTING C0L01STCES EOE WINTER. 

where they have marked the locations. It has been suffi- 
ciently shown that bees will return to the old stand. 

To prevent bad results, it has been recommended to 
" set an empty hive with some pieces of comb fastened in 
the top, in the place of the one removed, to catch the bees 
that go back to the old stand, and remove them at night, 
a few times, when they will remain." This should be done 
only when we cannot do better ; it is considerable trouble, 
and is not always satisfactory. 

I like to bring them a mile or more for the purpose, and 
thus avoid all such trouble. Two neighbors that distance 
apart, each having stocks in this condition might exchange 
bees, with mutual benefit. I have clone so, and considered 
myself well paid. But, latterly, I have several apiaries 
away from home, and have no difficulty. 

The practice of making one good stock out of two poor 
ones cannot be too highly recommended. Aside from its 
advantages, it relieves us from all disagreeable feelings in 
regard to taking life. 

TWO SWARMS UNITED, EAT LESS THAN WHEN SEPARATE. 

Even when a stock already contains bees enough to in- 
sure it for winter, another of the same number of bees 
may be added, and they w T ill not consume five pounds 
more than one swarm would if kept alone. If they 
should be wintered in the cold, the difference might not 
be one pound. Why a larger number of bees does not 
consume a proportionate quantity of honey, (w T hich the 
experience of others, as well as my own, has thoroughly 
proved,) is a mystery. If the fact that a greater number 
of bees generates more animal heat, and they therefore eat 
less, is a solution, it is a powerful argument for keeping 
bees warm in winter. 

Notwithstanding this, a good stock is not made any bet- 
ter by doubling the number of bees. I have tried the ex- 



SELECTING COLONIES FOE WINTEE. 271 

periment thoroughly, and when they commenced work the 
next spring, such double families promised much; but 
when the swarming season arrived, good single swarms 
were in the best condition. I am unable to give any satis- 
factory reason for this. Stocks, which have cast no 
swarms, are no better, the following spring than others. 
The same cause may operate in both cases. It therefore 
appears unnecessary to unite two or more good swarms, 
unless we are particularly sensitive about killing the bees. 

SEASON TO OPERATE. 

The usual season for operating is, when all brood has 
matured and left the cells. The exceptions are where 
there are not bees enough to protect the stores, in which 
cases it may be necessary, immediately after the failure of 
honey in the flowers. 

PARALYZING THE BEE. 

Col. H. K. Oliver, of Mass., has the credit of inventing 
the fumigator, an instrument to burn Puff-ball. By the aid 
of this, the smoke is blown into the hive, paralyzing the 
bees in a few minutes. They fall to the bottom apparently 
dead, but will recover in a few minutes, on receiving fresh 
air. 

DESCRIPTION OP FUMIGATOR. 

The fumigator is made of a tin tube, four inches long 
and two in diameter, with a stopper of soft wood, three 
inches long, exactly fitting one end when driven in half an 
inch, and secured by little nails driven through the tin. 
Through the centre of this stopper there is a hole one- 
fourth inch in diameter. To prevent this hole from filling 
up, the end in the tube is covered with wire-cloth, bent a 
little convex. The end of this stopper is cut down to about 
half an inch, tapering from the tin. For the other end a 



272 SELECTING COLONIES FOB WINTER. 

similar piece of wood is fitted, though a little longer, and 
not to be fastened, as it must be taken out at every opera- 
tion. The outer end of this is cut down to a shape to be 
taken into the mouth, or attached to the pipe of a pair of 
bellows. It can be made wholly of tin, but then it is ne- 
cessary to use solder, which is liable to melt and cause 
leaks. The puff-balls must not be too much injured by re- 



Cz 



^ 




Fig. 33. — FUMIGATOK. 

maining in the weather, and should be taken, if possible, 
just before they are ripe and burst open. When not 
thoroughly dry, put them in a warm -oven. Remove the 
rind carefully, ignite it with a five coal — it will not blaze — 
blow it and get it thoroughly to burning before putting it 
in the tube. Put in the stopper and blow through it ; if it 
smokes well, you are ready to proceed. When it does not 
burn freely, unstop and shake it out. 

HOW TO OPERATE. 

Invert the hive to receive the bees, set the other over it, 
and stop all crevices to prevent the escape of the smoke. 
Insert the end of the fumigator into a hole in the side of the 
hive, blow at the other end, and in two minutes you may 
hear the bees begin to fall. Both hives should be smoked, 
the upper one the most. The other only needs smoke 
enough to make the bees similar in scent to those intro- 
duced. At the end of eight or ten minutes, the upper 
hive may be raised, and any bees sticking between the 
combs, brushed down with a quill. The two queens are 
of course together ; one will be destroyed, and no difficulty 
arise. But if either of them is young, and you have been 
convinced that such are more prolific, and happen to know 



SELECTING COLONIES FOE WINTER. 273 

« 

which hive contains her, you can preserve her by a little 
variation of the process. 

Instead of inverting one hive, set them both on a cloth 
right side up, and smoke the bees, and while they are par- 
alyzed, search out and preserve the desired queen. Then 
put the bees ail together. Tie a thin cloth over the bottom 
of the hive to prevent the escape of the bees. Before 
they are fully recovered, they seem rather bewildered, and 
some will get away. Set the hive right end up, and raise 
it an inch ; the bees drop on the cloth, and fresh air pass- 
ing under soon revives them. In from twelve to twenty- 
four hours they may be let out.* 

Families united in this way will seldom quarrel, but will 
remain together, defending themseves against intruders as 
one swarm. I once had a stock nearly destitute of bees, 
with abundant stores for wintering a large family. I had 
let it down on the floor-board, and was on the lookout for 
an attack. The other bees soon discovered their weakness 
and commenced carrying off the honey. I had brought 
home a swarm to reinforce them only the day before, and 
immediately united them by means of the fumigator. The 
next morning I let them out, allowing them to issue only 
at the hole in the side of the hive. It was amusing to 
witness the apparent consternation of the robbers that 
were on hand for more plunder; they had been there only 
the day before, and had been permitted to enter and de- 
part unquestioned. But, lo ! a change had transpired. In- 
stead of finding open doors, and a free passage, the first 
bee that touched the hive was seized, and very rudely 
handled, and at last, dispatched with a sting. A few oth- 
ers receiving similar treatment, they began to exercise a 

* When a condemned colony is smothered in the old hive, so many of the 
bees remain sticking among the combs, that it is very unpleasant work to re- 
move the combs. It is better on the whole to drive out the bees in the beginning, 
and the few remaining on the combs can be paralyzed, and will drop down with- 
out difficulty. 

12* 



274 SELECTING COLONIES FOR "WINTER. 

little caution, and tried to find admittance on the back 
side, and other places. They even attempted to enter one 
or two other hives, on either side, perhaps thinking they 
were mistaken in the hive, but these being strong, re- 
pulsed them, and they finally gave it up. 

HOW BEES WERE WINTERED AFTER A SCARCITY OP HONEY. 

One season, some years ago, when I was anxious to in- 
crease the number of my stocks to the utmost, I had none 
but early swarms, with sufficient honey for winter. Twen- 
ty-five pounds is required for winter stores in this section. 
I had over thirty young swarms with less than that quan- 
tity. 

There was a large number of old colonies with diseased 
brood, and but few bees, but sufficient honey. Such honey 
is not deleterious to the old bees, hence I transferred the 
bees of these new swarms, by paralyzing, to the old stocks 
containing black comb and diseased brood. The bees 
were thus wintered on honey of but little account, and all 
the honey that was in the healthy hives was saved. These 
new hives were set in "a cold dry place during winter, 
right end up, to prevent the honey from dripping out of 
the cells. Some will leak then, but not as much as when 
the hive is bottom up. Honey that runs out, when the 
hive is bottom up, will soak into the wood at the base of 
the combs, and has a tendency to loosen them, and render 
them liable to fall, etc. The bees should be returned to 
the new hives the following March. For the method of 
transferring see Chap. xix. 

ADVANTAGE OP TRANSFERRING. 

When a good-sized family is put in a hive containing 
fifteen or twenty pounds of honey, and nearly half full of 
clean new comb, they are about as sure to fill up and cast 
a swarm, as one that is full, and has wintered a colony. 



selecting colonies foe winter. 275 

One cause of superior thrift may be found in the circum- 
stance that all moth eggs and worms are frozen to death, 
and the bees are not troubled with any worms before 
June. No young bees have to be removed to work them 
out, hence neai'ly every young bee that is fed and sealed 
up, comes forth perfect, which makes a vast difference in 
the increase. Any person wishing to increase the number 
of his colonies to the utmost, will find this plan of saving 
all partly filled hives, much more profitable than to break 
out the honey for sale. Suppose you have an old stock 
that needs pruning, and you have neglected it, or it has 
refused to swarm, and you have had no opportunity to do 
it, without destroying too much brood. You can let it be, 
and put on the boxes — perhaps get twenty-five pounds of 
cap honey — and then winter the bees in it as described, 
and transfer them to the new combs in the spring. 

Again, if there are no old or diseased stocks to be trans- 
ferred in the spring, keep them until the swarming season. 
If a swarm put into an empty hive would just fill it, the 
same swarm put into one containing fifteen pounds of 
honey, would evidently make that quantity of surplus. 
The advantage is in the comparative value of box and hive 
honey ; the former being worth from thirty to a hundred 
per cent. more. 

UNITING COMB, HONEY, AND BEES. 

I have occasionally adopted another method of making 
a good stock from two poor ones, which the reader may 
prefer. When all the old stocks have been reinforced that 
need it, and there are still some swarms with too few bees 
and too little honey to winter safely in their present con- 
dition, two or more can be united. The fact, which has 
been sufficiently tested, that two families of bees, when 
united and wintered in one hive, will consume but little, 
if any more, than each would separately, has an import- 



276 SELECTING COLONIES FOE WINTER. 

ant bearing upon this case. If each family should have 
fifteen pounds of honey, they would consume it all, and 
probably starve at last — making a loss of thirty pounds. 
But if the contents of both were in one hive, there would 
be an abundance, with some to spare in the spring. 

The process of uniting them is simple. Smoke both 
of the hives, and then turn them over. Choose the one 
with the straightest combs, or the one nearest full, to re- 
ceive the contents of the other ; trim off the ends of the 
combs square across, and it is ready. Remove the sticks 
from the other, and with your tools, take out the combs 
with the bees on as before directed, one at a time, and 
carefully set them on the edges of the other combs. If 
the shape will admit, let the edges match, if not set them 
crosswise. Bits of wood or rolls of paper should be put 
between, to preserve the right distance. When both hives 
are of one size, the transferred combs will exactly fit, if 
you are careful to adjust them properly. You will now 
want to know " what is to prevent these combs from fall- 
ing out when the hive is turned over ? " It is not to be 
turned over, but is to remain bottom up in some dark 
place for some time, or until spring. (See Wintering 
Bees.) The bees will immediately join the combs togeth- 
er. The hive being inverted, the honey in these combs 
will be consumed first, and when the hive is set out in 
spring, it will be a rare occurrence for any pieces to drop 
out. Should any combs project beyond the bottom of the 
hive, they may be trimmed off even, after they are fast- 
ened, before they are set out. An additional cross- stick 
may pass under the bottom of the combs, to support them 
if you desire. You will probably never discover any dif- 
ference in their subsequent prosperity in consequence of 
the crossing of the combs in the middle. I have had them 
thus, that were some of my most prosperous colonies. 

As this operation need not be performed until JSTovem- 



SELECTING COLONIES FOR WINTER. 277 

ber, there is still another advantage ; families of the same 
apiary can be united, and will mostly forget the old loca- 
tion by spring, hence no difficulty will arise when they 
are returned to their old stand. 

In some sections, honey is more frequently wanting than 
bees or comb ; in such cases it is an advantage to feed, 
until enough is stored for winter. This can be determined 
by what the hive actually weighs when done. It is insuf- 
ficient to simply weigh the honey that is fed. 

WHEN IT IS BEST TO FEED. 

It should be done in October, that the honey may be 
sealed up before cold weather. If done before, too many 
of the combs will be occupied with brood. Feed as fast 
as possible, that they may not start too much brood. 

But if they lack comb as well as honey, and you still 
wish to try feeding, it should be done, if possible, in warm 
weather, as they cannot make combs advantageously in 
the cold. 

Directions for feeding will be found in Chap. vn. 

If your hives are not full, and are to be wintered in the 
house, bottom up, they may be fed at any time during the 
winter by merely laying pieces of comb containing honey, 
on those in the hive. The bees readily remove the con- 
tents into their own combs. When empty, replace them, 
until they have a full supply. They will join such pieces 
of comb to their own, but there will be no harm in break- 
ing them loose. The principal objection to feeding in this 
way, will be found in the tendency to make them uneasy 
and disposed to leave the hive, when it is desirable to have 
them as quiet as possible. A thin cloth will be necessary 
to confine them to the hive. 

With the movable combs, a great deal of the foregoing 
trouble may be avoided. A large proportion of the colo- 
nies will almost always store more honey than needed for 



278 SELECTING COLONIES FOE WINTER. 

winter, to an absolute disadvantage. The Italians are 
quite sure to have an excess, in ordinary seasons. Seventy- 
pounds was quite a common surplus, in the summer of '64. 

There will be some late or small swarms, or some that 
were divided too late to obtain sufficient winter stores. 
By taking a comb or two from such heavy hives, and ex- 
changing with the light ones, all are benefitted. The light 
hives are made fit to winter, and the others are better off 
because the bees can have room in the empty cells, to 
pack themselves closely for mutual warmth in severe 
weather. 

When a season occurs like the summer of '63 in this 
section, when but few colonies have enough stores, a great 
many only half enough, and some, still less, — unless it is 
decided to feed all — some of the lightest may be taken up, 
and the heaviest combs appropriated for the use of those 
to be wintered. By attention through the winter and 
spring, occasionally giving a comb containing three or four 
pounds for an empty one, as they need, they can be win- 
tered without any great deal of trouble. 

I have now given directions to avoid killing any family 
of bees worth saving. When such as need feeding have 
been fed, and all weak colonies have been made strong by 
additions, etc., but little more fall work is needed in the 
apiary. 

It is only when there are weak stocks unfit for winter in 
any shape, that it is necessary to be on the look out every 
warm day to prevent pillage. 



STRAINING HONEY AND WAX. 279 

CHAPTER XXII. 

STRAINING HONEY AND WAX. 
REMOVING COMBS. 

The combs of the movable frame hive are so easily lifted 
out, and removed from the frames, and the bees shaken 
off, that it is quite unnecessary to give explicit directions 
for removing the honey from such, for straining. 

The most convenient method of removing combs from 
the box hive is by taking off one of its sides, but if it is 
properly nailed, this is apt to split the boards, and injure 
it for subsequent use. With tools such as have been de- 
scribed in Chap, xiii, it may be done very nicely without 
injury to the hive. The chisel should have the bevel on 
one side, like those used by carpenters. The flat side is 
placed next the board of the hive and the bevel, crowded 
by the combs, will follow it close the whole length ;. Avith 
the other tool the combs are cut across the top, and read- 
ily lifted out. If preferred, they may be cut across near 
the centre, and half a sheet taken out at a time ; this is 
sometimes necessary on account of the cross-sticks. 

Such combs as are taken from the middle, or the vicinity 
of brood-cells are generally unfit for the table, and should 
be strained. 

METHOD OF SPRAINING. 

There are several methods of performing this operation. 
One is, to mash the comb and put it in a bag, and hang it 
over some vessel to catch the honey as it drains out. This 
will do very well for small quantities in warm weather, or 
in the fall before any of it is candied. Another method is 
to put such combs in a colander, and set this over a pan in 
a moderately hot oven. This will melt the combs, and the 



280 STRAINING HONEY AND WAX. 

honey and a portion of the wax will run out together. 
The wax will rise to the top and cool in a cake. It is lia- 
ble to burn and require care. Many prefer this process, as 
there is less taste of bee-bread, no cells containing it being 
disturbed ; but unless it is stirred, some of the honey will 
not drain out. If desired, two qualities may be made. 
Another way is to break the combs well in a colander and 
allow the honey to drain out without much heat, and after- 
wards skim the small particles of comb that rise, or pass 
the honey through a cloth or piece of lace. 

But for large quantities, it is well to have a special ar- 
rangement. Make a box four inches high, and sixteen or 
eighteen inches wide, by four feet in length, with a wire- 
cloth bottom. Put legs under, to raise it to a convenient 
height. Under the strainer, place a board same in width 
and length, elevated at one end, to catch the honey and con- 
duct it into some vessel. Break up the comb with the 
hands, but do not stir it unnecessarily, or the bee-bread 
will be mixed with the honey. The box may be filled 
with this, and will hold one hundred pounds or more. The 
honey as it first runs through, will contain particles of 
comb, but if left to stand for a day or two, these will all 
rise to the surface. Through a hole near the bottom, the 
pure honey may be drawn off. 

When you have obtained all that will readily drain out, 
put the comb in a barrel or large box with a few holes in 
the bottom. A large quantity will warm up of itself, and 
another portion of honey will run out, of somewhat infe- 
rior quality. 

Should the weather be somewhat cool, it will become 
thickened too quickly to run out well, when a press of 
some sort is of great advantage. Unless the weather is 
warm, the bees should be removed only on the day the 
comb is broken up. 



STRAINING HONEY AND WAX. 281 



METHEGLIN AND VINEGAR. 



When no more honey can be conveniently obtained, a 
still further saving may be made, by covering the comb 
with boiling water, stirring well and draining ; when the 
comb should be made into wax at once to prevent moulding. 

The sweetened water should be boiled and skimmed 
till clear. If strong enough to raise a potato one-third 
above the surface, it may be put away for metheglin, 
which will be fit for use in twelve months, and improve 
with age. By reducing it considerably, vinegar may be 
made in the same manner as from other material. 

FEEDING REFUSE HONEY. 

There is still another method of saving the honey re- 
maining in the comb after draining. Take a large movable 
comb-hive — it would pay to make one on purpose with a 
large number of frames — full of empty combs or frames. 
Make a second hive without top or frames ; cover the 
bottom an inch thick with the refuse comb, and set the 
first hive containing bees and combs over it. As the 
bees have to work in comparatively cool weather, it is well 
to make a strong swarm by uniting three or four condemned 
colonies. They should not be allowed any queen to fill 
the combs with brood, but may have a little brood to con- 
tent them with the idea of raising one. In a few hours, 
they will lick up several pounds, leaving the comb per- 
fectly clean, when more may be added, and this process 
continued till all the comb is clean. By this time they 
may have fifty or one hundred pounds of beautiful honey. 

If this honey is from hives that contained diseased 
•brood it would be best to secure it from the other bees ; 
but if otherwise it would answer every purpose for win- 
tering bees, and this swarm might remain. In this case, 
it would be best to let them have a queen, by all means, 
in order to have them build worker combs. 



282 STRAINING HONEY AND WAX. 

In warm weather, if a door or window leading to a 
room where honey is exposed, is left open, the bees will 
find their way in, during a scarcity of honey. Doors and 
windows should be kept closed, allowing them no means 
of entrance. 

MAKING- WAX, 

Several methods have been adopted for separating the 
wax. I have never been able to secure the whole. Some 
recommend heating it in an oven, similarly to the method 
of straining honey through the colander, but I have found 
it to waste more than when melted with water. A bet- 
ter way for small quantities, is to fill a coarse stout bag, 
half full of refuse comb, with something to sink it, and 
boil it in a kettle of water, pressing and turning it fre- 
quently, till the wax ceases to rise. 

QUANTITY WASTED. 

When the bag is emptied, by squeezing a handful of 
the contents, the particles of wax may be seen, and you 
may judge of the quantity wasted. 

LARGE QUANTITIES. 

For large quantities the foregoing process is rather te- 
dious. It can be facilitated by using two levers four or 
five feet long, and about four inches wide, fastened to- 
gether at the lower end by a strong hinge. The comb is 
put into a kettle of boiling water, and will melt almost 
immediately ; it is then put into the bag, and taken be- 
tween the levers, in some large vessel, and pressed. The 
contents of the bag should be shaken and turned several 
times during the process, and if need be, returned to the 
boiling water, and then squeezed again. The wax with 
a little water is now to be re-melted, and strained again 
through finer cloth, into vessels that will mold it into the 



STRAINING HONEY AND WAX. 283 

desired shape. As the sediment settles to the bottom of 
the wax, when melted, a portion may he dipped off nearly 
pure without straining. 

By adding an acid to the water in which the wax is 
melted, it may he separated much more readily. A quart 
of vinegar to a gallon of water, or a small spoonful of 
nitric acid is sufficient. There may he a little less labor, 
where it is available, in using a heavy press like one made 
for cheese, with a hoop made of slats an inch wide and 
one-fourth inch apart, firmly bound. The bag with 
melted comb is put into this, and throughly pressed, 
while boiling hot. 

Wax may be bleached in the sun, in a short time, in 
cool weather, but it must be in very thin flakes. It is 
readily obtained in this shape by dipping a thin board or 
shingle, thoroughly wet, into pure melted wax ; enough 
will adhere to make it the desired thickness, and will cool 
instantly on being withdrawn. Draw a knife along the 
edges, and it will readily cleave off. Exposed to the sun 
in a window or on the snow, it will become perfectly 
white, when it can be made into cakes for market, where 
it commands a much higher price than the yellow. 

I presume there are chemical processes by which this 
result is obtained, but I am not familiar with them. 



284 WESTTERmG BEES. 



C H A PT E R XXIII. 

WINTERING BEES. 

There is almost as much irreconcilable diversity of 
opinion with respect to wintering bees as in the construc- 
tion of hires. 

DIFFERENT METHODS. 

We are told to keep them warm, and to keep them 
cold ; to keep them in the sun and out of the sun ; to 
bury them in the ground ; to put them in the cellar, in 
the chamber, in the wood-house, and to do nothing with 
them. Here are plans enough to drive the inexperienced 
into despair. Yet I have no doubt but bees have occa- 
sionally been successfully wintered by all these contra- 
dictory methods. That some are superior to others, 
needs no argument ; but which are best, is our province 
to inquire. Let us endeavor to investigate the subject 
without prejudice. 

We will first examine the condition of a stock left to 
nature, without any care, and see if it affords us any 
hints as to how we shall protect them. By close observa- 
tion we shall probably discover that the oft-repeated as- 
sertion, that bees will never freeze except when without 
honey, has led to many errors in practice. 

WARMTH FIRST REQUISITE. 

Warmth being the first requisite, a family of bees 
crowds together at the approach of cold weather, into a 
compass corresponding to the degree of cold. Those on 
the outside are somewhat stiffened with cold, while those 
within, are as brisk and lively as in summer. In severe 
weather, every bit of space within their circle is occupied ; 



WINTERING BEES. 285 

even each cell not containing honey or pollen holds a 
bee. Suppose this cluster is sufficiently compact for mu- 
tual warmth, with the mercury at 40°, and it falls to zero 
in a few hours, this body of bees, like most other things, 
will speedily contract. Some bees on the outside, being 
already chilled, do not keep up with the shrinking mass, 
and being left exposed at a distance from their fellows, 
receive but little benefit from the warmth of the cluster, 
and are soon frozen. 

SIZE OF COLOKV. 

A good colony will form a ball or sphere about eight 
inches in diameter, generally about equal every way, 
which must occupy the spaces between four or five combs. 
As the combs separate them into divisions, the two outer 
ones are the smallest and most exposed; these are often 
found frozen to death in severe weather. Should evidence 
be wanting to show that bees will freeze, the above seems 
to furnish it. 

Suppose a quart of bees to be put in a hive where all 
the cells are lengthened out, and filled with honey, there 
would be only one-fourth inch spaces between the combs, 
leaving room for only one course of bees. The combs 
are perhaps one and a half or two inches thick. These 
single layers of bees could not of course keep themselves 
properly warm. Although every bee would have food in 
abundance without changing its position, the first severe 
weather would probably destroy them all. But I admit 
this to be a rather improbable condition. 

PKOMOTION OF WAHMTH. 

Their winter quarters are among the brood combs, 
where the hatching of the brood leaves most of the cells 
empty, and there is a half inch space between the combs ; 
a wise and beautiful arrangement, as ten times as many 



286 WINTERING BEES, 

bees can pack themselves within a circle of six inches, as 
in the other case, and in consequence, the same number 
of bees can secure much more animal heat and endure 
the cold much better. But a small family, even here, 
will often be found frozen, as well as starving. 

Besides freezing, there are some other facts to be ob- 
served in connection with stocks that stand in the cold. 

MOISTURE. 

Physiologists tell us " that innumerable pores in the 
cuticle of the human body, are continually throwing off 
waste or worn-out matter; that every exhalation of air 
carries with it a portion of water from the system, unper- 
ceived in warm weather, but condensed into particles 
large enough to be seen in a cold atmosphere." Now, if 
analogy be allowed here, we will say that the bee throws 
off waste matter and water in the same way. Its food 
being liquid, nearly all will be exhaled ; this passes off 
in moderate weather, but in cold it is condensed, and the 
particles lodge on the comb and sides of the hive in the 
form of frost, which accumulates as long as the weather is 
very severe. In the middle of the day, or as soon as the 
temperature is slightly raised, this begins to melt, first, 
near the bees, then at the sides of the hive. A succession 
of cold nights will prevent the evaporation of this mois- 
ture, and this process of freezing and thawing, will at the 
end of a week or two, form icicles as large as a man's finger 
upon the combs and interior of the hive. When the bot- 
tom is close to the floor, it forms a perfectly air tight 
sealing around the edges, and the colony is smothered. I 
have frequently heard bee-keepers say • " The snow blew 
in, and formed ice all round the bottom, and my bees 
froze to death." Others who have had their bees in a 
cold room, and found them thus, " could not see how the 
water could get there, any way — were quite sure it was 
not there when carried in, etc." 



WINTERING BEES. 287 

When the hive contains a very large or a very small 
family, there will be less frost on the combs ; in the first 
case the animal heat will drive it off, and in the latter 
there will be but little moisture exhaled to freeze. 

CAUSES OF STARVATION. 

This frost frequently causes medium sized families to 
starve in cold weather, even when there is plenty of 
honey in the hive. If all the honey in the immediate vi- 
cinity of the bees is exhausted, and the combs in every 
direction are covered with frost, a bee leaving the cluster, 
and going among the combs for a. supply would meet a 
fate as certain as starvation. And without timely inter- 
vention of warmer weather, all would perish. 

Should bees escape starvation, there is another ex- 
igency often attending them in continued cold weather. 
I have said that small families exhaled but little moisture. 
Let us see if we can explain the effect in this case. 

DYSENTERY. 

In small stocks not enough heat is generated to exhale 
the aqueous portions of the food. The philosophy that 
explains why a man in warm blood, and profuse perspira- 
tion, exhales more moisture than when in a quiet state, 
will illustrate this. The bees under these circumstances 
must retain the water as well as the excrementitious part, 
which soon distends their bodies to an unendurable ex- 
tent. Their cleanly habits, that ordinarily protect the 
combs from being soiled, are not a sure protection now, 
and they are compelled to leave the mass, very often in 
the severest weather, to expel this unnatural accumula- 
tion of foeces. 

In a moderately warm day more bees will issue from a 
hive in this condition than from others. It would seem 
that part of them are unable to discharge their burden, 
their waight prevents their flying, and they get down 



288 WESTERING BEES. 

and are lost. With the indications attendant iipon such 
losses, my own observation has made me somewhat fami- 
liar, as the following will illustrate. 

A neighbor wishing to purchase some stock hives in 
the fall, requested my assistance in selecting them. We 
applied to a perfect stranger whose bees had passed the 
previous winter in the open air. I found on looking 
among them, that he had lost some from the cause just 
mentioned, as the excrement was yet about the entrance 
of one old weather-beaten hive that was now occupied 
by a young swarm, and was about half filled with combs. 

I saw at once what had been the matter, and felt quite 
confident that I could give its owner a correct history of 
it. " Sir," said I, " you were unfortunate with the bees 
that were in this hive last winter ; I think I can give you 
some particulars respecting it." 

" Ah, what makes you think so ? I would like to hear 
your ideas ; I will admit that there has been something 
peculiar about it." 

" One year ago, you considered it a good stock-hive, 
it was well filled with honey, had a good family of bees, 
and was at least two or three years old. You had confi- 
dence that it would winter as well as any, but during the 
cold weather, somehow, the bees unaccountably disap- 
peared, leaving but a very few, and they were frozen to 
death. You discovered it towards spring, on a warm 
day. When you removed the combs, you probably no- 
ticed a great many spots of excrement on them, as well 
as on the sides of the hive, particularly near the entrance. 
Also one-half or more of the breeding-cells contained 
dead brood in a putrid state, and this summer you have 
used the old hive for a new SAvarm." 

" You are right, sir, in every particular. Now, I would 
like to know what gave you the idea that I had lost the 
bees in that hive. I can see nothing peculiar about that 



WlETEEING- BEES. 289 

old hive, more than this one ;" pointing to another that 
also contained a new swarm. " You will greatly oblige 
me if you will point out the signs particularly." 

I then directed his attention to the entrance in the side 
of the hive ; here the bees had discharged their excre- 
ment on the moment of issuing, until it was near an 
eighth of an inch thick, and two or three inches broad. 
It yet remained, and had just begun to cleave off. " You 
see this brown substance around the hole in the hive ? " 

"Yes, it is bee-glue, {propolis,) it is very common on 
old hives." 

" I think not ; if you will examine it closely, you will 
perceive that it is not so hard and bright ; it already be- 
gins to crumble, and bee-glue is not affected by the 
weather for years." 

" Just so, but what is it, and what has that to do with 
your guess-work ? " 

" It is the excrement of the bees. In consequence of 
many cells containing dead brood, the bees could not 
enter them, and they were unable to pack themselves 
closely enough to secure the animal heat requisite to drive 
off the water in their food, and it was therefore retained 
in their bodies, till they were distended beyond endu- 
rance. They were unable to wait for a warm day, and 
necessity compelled them to issue daily during the cold- 
est weather, discharging their fceces the moment of j>ass- 
ing the entrance, and sometimes, before, upon the combs. 
They were immediately chilled and could not return ; the 
quantity left about the entrance shows that a great many 
must have come out. That they came out in cold weather 
is proved by its being left on the hive, because in warm 
weather they leave the hive for this purpose. The cluster 
inside was in this way so reduced that they were un- 
able to keep from freezing." 

" This is a new idea ; at present it seems very probable ; 
13 



290 WINTERING BEES. 

I will think of it. But how did you know that it was an 
old hive, and that it was well filled ? " 

"When looking under it just now, I saw that combs 
of a dark color had been attached to the sides near the 
bottom, below where those are at present ; this indicates 
that it had been full ; and the dark color shows that the 
combs were old. Also, a swarm early and large enough 
to fill such a hive the first season, would not be very 
likely to be affected by the cold in this way." 

" Why not ? I think this hive was crowded with bees 
as much as any of my new swarms." 

" I have no doubt that it appeared so ; but we are very 
liable to be deceived by dead brood in the combs. A 
medium-sized family will make more show in such a hive, 
than a larger one that have empty cells to creep into, and 
can pack more closely." 

" But how did you know about the dead brood ? " 

" Because old stocks are often thus reduced and lost." 

" What were the indications of its having been filled 
with honey ? " 

" Combs are seldom attached to the side of the hive 
farther down than they are filled with honey. In this 
hive the combs had extended to the bottom, consequently 
must have been full ; also, unless a colony is very much 
reduced, the hive is generally well stored, even when 
diseased." 

" Why did you suppose it was near spring before I dis- 
covered it ? " 

" I guessed at that. The majority of bee-keepers are 
rather careless, you know, and when they have arranged 
their bees for winter, seldom give them much more atten- 
tion, till they begin to fly out in spring." 

" But what should I have done had I discovered the 
bees coming out ? " 

" As it was affected with dead brood, you could have 



WINTERING BEES. 291 

done but little ; you would have lost it eventually. But 
had it been a colony otherwise healthy, and was thus af- 
fected only because it was small, or by the severity of 
the weather, you could have taken it to a warm room, 
and turned it bottom up, or given it abundant upward 
ventilation, and the heat would have converted most of 
the water contained in their food, into vapor. This 
would rise from the hive, and the bees could retain the 
excrementitious portion without difficulty till spring." 

" I suppose you must get along without losing many 
through the winter, if I may judge from your confident 
explanations." 

" I can assure you I have but little fear on this point. 
If I can have the privilege of selecting suitable stocks, I 
will engage to not lose one in a hundred." 

" How do you manage ? I would be glad to obtain a 
method with which I could feel as perfectly safe as you 
appear to." 

" The first requisite is to have none but good hives. I 
unite weak families until they become strong, or make 
some other disposition of them." I then gave him an 
outline of my usual method of housing bees, which I can 
confidently recommend to the reader. 

This accumulation of foeces is considered by many 
writers as a disease — a kind of dysentery. It is described 
as affecting them towards spring, and several remedies 
are given. If what I have been describing is not the 
dysentery, I have never had a case of it ; but I think it 
is the same, and that inattention must be the reason that 
many do not discover it in cold weather, at the time that 
it occurs. Some stocks may be badly affected, yet not 
entirely lost, and moderate weather may arrest its pro- 
gress. When a remedy is applied in spring, long after 
the cause ceases to operate, it would be singular if it 
were not effectual. I have no doubt but some have taken 



292 WINTERING BEES. 

the natural discharge of foeces that always takes place in 
spring, when the bees first leave the hive, for a disease. 
Others, looking for a cause for diseased brood, and find- 
ing the hive and combs somewhat besmeared, have as- 
signed this as sufficient ; but according to my view, have 
reversed it, giving the effect for the cause. 

There is some reason to suppose that moisture on 
the combs gradually mixes with the honey, making it 
thin, and that the bees will be affected as described, by 
eating so much water with their food. But some experi- 
ments have induced me to assign cold as an additional 
cause, as I have always found, when I put the hives where 
it was sufficiently warm, that an immediate cure was the 
result, or, at least, it enabled the bees to retain the excre- 
ment till set out in the spring. 



Much has been said recently, about furnishing bees with 
water during the winter, but the reasons for feeding it, 
and the results are so conflicting, that we have but little 
reliable evidence on the subject. My experience does 
not show that it is very efficacious when given as a pre- 
ventive of dysentery, or necessary in rearing brood while 
housed. 

After taking so much trouble to get rid of moisture, 
I am not disposed to recommend giving any more of it. 
I may be prejudiced and not qualified to judge, in conse- 
quence. It is also strongly urged that it is required when 
bees are rearing brood, and that they will speedily perish 
when deprived of it, from being shut up in the house — 
especially if they have candied honey.* I cannot even 



* Mr. Harbison says: " I have had bees confined for a period of forly-eight 
days, about one-third of which time they were in a warm latitude, in transit to 
California ; not a single drop of water did they get during all that time, and yet 
they reared and matured brood on the way, and it was found in some strong 



WINTEEIKG BEES. 293 

understand the force or pertinency of the reasoning. 
How candied honey can make any dhTerence when the 
bees do not eat it at all, I am unable to perceive. When 
a portion of honey is candied in the cells, the bees eat 
only that which is liquid, rejecting the rest ; would they 
do more than take the liquid portion, were it all in that 
state ? I doubt if there any disadvantages incident to 
the use of candied honey further than the waste. When 
the weather is warm enough, or the bees have increased 
enough to generate sufficient heat, it all liquifies — the 
bees eat it, and no harm arises. I think it quite likely 
that a very dry atmosphere would be detrimental to a 
colony of bees, as it is unnatural. It is probably best to 
avoid all extremes. 



colonies, in all stages from the egg to those just emerging from the cells, on their 
arrival at Sacramento." 

Mr. Harbison publishes a letter in his work, applying directly to this subject. 
St. Johnsville, N. Y., January 4, I860. 

Mr. Harbison, Dear Sir.— In regard to the necessity of giving bees water 
during winter, I cannot say at present that my views are in accordance with 
those set forth by Mr. Langstroth on pages 342, 343, and 316 of his last edition. 
I fear that his remarks, and the translation from the German, by Mr. Wagner, 
will give very many inexperienced bee-keepers much unnecessary trouble. A 
constant supervision is indicated as necessary to safely take the bees through the 
winter. I do not remember as any plan was given to keep up a supply without 
attention. As a dearth of water is represented as the cause of much loss, of 
course those who take this theory for fact and expect success, must have some 
trouble to provide for these warns. 

Net dreaming that water was essential to the health of bees in winter, I have 
for the last twenty-five years used my utmost endeavors to get rid of all moisture 
about the hive, and I have succeeded as effectually as anv one. When put in 
the house, I open the holes in the top of the hive, and then invert it on sticks ; 
a constant circulation of air through the hive carries with it all the moisture 
generated, the combs remain perfectly dry, and as far as I can discover, the 
bees are perfectly healthy. Instead of meeting a general loss with this method, 
I have wintered hundreds of stocks with a loss of less than two per cent. Why 
others, who take no pains comparatively, to ventilale, should suffer so much 
more loss than I do, I cannot comprehend ; — that is, with this theory. 

Many years ago, I became fully satisfied that the loss of nine-tenths of all the 
good colonies in winter, was a direct consequence of confining this moisture to 
the hive. The experience of every subsequent year gives additional evidence 
in favor of this idea. 

Respecting the particles of candied honey found on the bottom-board, as in- 



294 WINTERING BEES. 

NATIVES OF ¥ASM CLIMATE. 

Bees being natives of a warm climate, need some as- 
sistance in maintaining a healthy condition throughout 
the winter. Let us see if we cannot keep them warm, 
save the bees, economize honey, and at the same time get 
rid of the excess of moisture. A large family expels it 
much better than a small one. 

WARM ROOM. 

When a large number of colonies is put together in a 
close room, the animal heat, from all combined, is an ad- 
vantage — to the weak ones, at least. Yet the moisture 
is condensed in large drops, and can be seen on the sides 
of a glass hive. This excess of moisture is quite certain 
to mold the combs, and must be disposed of. Ample 
vents can be opened on the top, or the hive inverted. 
Any one can see that while the vapor is warm from the 
bees, it will all pass off, or so much of it, that the combs 

dicating suffering for water, mentioned by Mr. Langstroth, I have been unable 
to arrive at a similar conclusion, because whenever the room in which they 
were wintered, was cold enough to candy the honey, I have invariably found the 
greater part of it, after the bees were set out and when they had abundant op 
portunity to get water. These particles may be seen at any time during spring, 
when the bees do not obtain sufficient honey from the flowers, for themselves 
and brood, and are necessitated to draw on their old stores. This seems very 
plain without the theory of need of water as may be readily seen. In each cell, 
only a part of the honey candies ; the bees can swallow only the liquid portion, 
and must reject the other ; this may be the case, although they fly out daily. 

When the temperature of the hive becomes sufficiently warm to liquify this, 
it is no longer to be found. 

I rather suspect that Mr. Langstroth has depended very much on the testi- 
mony of others in this matter of wintering bees. In his first edition of the 
" Hive and Honey Bee " in 1853, he recommended what he called a "protector" 
as very important In his second edition he abandoned that plan, as not likely 
to pav, and suggested "special depositories." To show (he advantages of this 
method, he quoted Dzieizon, and several pages from me explaining the manner 
of petting rid of this water. And now two or three years later, he supposes wa- 
ter is absolutely essenlial. In all our rural affairs there is no branch where 
there are more conflicting theories than in bee-culture, especially wintering 
them. No one can be sure, till lie makes a few experiments of his own. 

Your's Truly, 

M. QUINBY. 



WTNTERmG BEES. 295 

will not mold. At the same time enough is diffused 
throughout the atmosphere of the room, to answer all the 
requirements of the bees. Twenty years experience has 
proved this principle correct. 

One hundred colonies in any hind of wooden hives, 
cannot be wintered more safely and economically, than in 
a warm room. What I mean by economically, is, with 
the least consumption of honey. The room should be 
large enough to conveniently contain the number of 
hives to be wintered. 

A small one in the dwelling house, or some out-build- 
ing, or a warm dry cellar may be used. I have wintered 
them in all these places, and prefer the latter. 

CELLAR PREFERRED. 

If I were now to construct a room for this particular 
purpose, and could have just what I wanted, it would not 
differ materially from one I now use. It is a cellar under 
a barn on a side hill, where the ground descends just 
enough to make the entrance level with the floor, size 
20 * 30, with the hay-mow directly over it. Ten feet from 
the back end there is a partition, and two feet forward 
of that, another, enclosing a dead-air space, which will 
prevent all sudden changes of outside temperature from 
being felt within. Several days of warm or of very cold 
weather, will occur, before the difference is noticed by 
the bees. The walls are simply plastered, but should be 
laid in lime mort'ar to keep out rats and mice. The bottom 
is cemented thoroughly, and the top lathed and plastered. 
A tube four inches square is put in on one side near the 
bottom, for the admission of air, and another at the top, 
for its exit, both covered with wire-cloth to exclude 
vermin. A slide should be inserted in these tubes to re- 
gulate the supply of air. 

Around the sides of such a room, arrange shelves at 



296 WIN-TEEING BEES. 

proper distances, one above another, upon which to set 
the hives. If the cellar is very dry, some hives may be 
set on a board on the floor. 

The bees should be allowed the benefit of flying out on 
all warm days at the end of the season, and should not 
be put into winter quarters until winter is positively at 
hand. Also, it is much better to remove them on a cool 
than on a warm day. It is an advantage, but not all-im- 
portant, that each hive occupies its old stand when set 
out in the spring. To this end, they should be numbered, 
and when brought out, they can be placed where they 
are to remain. 



If the box hives are to be housed, piace sticks an inch 
square (readily made by splitting a board of the right 
length), upon the shelves, and set the hives upon them, 
either inverted, or with ample ventilation at the top. 

When the combs can be vertical, the best position is on 
the side. When all the permanent shelves are full, put 
in temporary ones until one hundred hives are deposited, 
which are as many as should be kept in one apartment. 
The movable comb hives should be set on sticks about 
half as large. But few of the holes need be open in the 
honey board, for ventilation, as the air can pass over the 
top of all the frames. When over one hundred are put 
in one room, they are apt to make the air too warm, in 
consequence of which the bees become uneasy, and some 
get out and are lost. If the least ray of light is admitted, 
they will go to it, and lose their hive. A small number — less 
than thirty hives — will not keep up the requisite warmth, 
and there is more need of confining the animal heat 
to each hive ; this retains more of the moisture. It is 
better to reduce the size of the room in proportion to the 
number. A few in a large room will not do as well, as 



WINTEEING BEES. 297 

in one just la#ge enough to hold them. They should be 
examined occasionally throughout the winter to see that 
all is right, but disturbed as little as possible. Perhaps 
when very cold, less air will be needed, than when moder- 
ate. Towards spring, they are less quiet, and you should 
take advantage of the first warm days after the middle 
of March to get a part of them out, so that the remainder 
will keep the temperature about the same as before. 

SETTIKG OUT. 

"No matter if the snow is not all gone, if it has a crust 
and the day is warm, a bee will rise from it, just as well 
as from the bare earth. Eight or ten hives should be set 
out at once ; after they have been out two or three hours, 
set out as many more. When all are taken out at one 
time, they are quite sure to mix, and unite with colonies 
where they do not belong. They are more particularly 
disposed to do so, when any stands have been changed 
or set in a strange place. 

While the usual difficulty is to select a day sufficiently 
warm, it is possible, as the season advances, for it to be 
too warm. When the hive is first set out, the bees are in- 
tent only on getting out to fly. Those that have been out, 
are now on the lookout for plunder, and rush into the 
hives recently set out, and carry off the honey, before 
there is any guard established to defend it. When such 
days occur, the bees should not be taken from the cellar. 

Should some hives, after all precautions, get more 
than their share of bees, while others are proportion- 
ally deficient, the best way is to simply change the 
hives, taking the strong one to the stand of the 
weak one, and the reverse. Take care that too many 
do not leave the strong hive and join the other, 
as will occasionally happen, in which case it will 
be necessary to return each to its own stand. Be- 
13* 



298 WINTERING BEES. 

fore making the exchange, ascertain if tike weak one is 
not queenless. 

If it be impossible to build such a cellar as the fore- 
going, one partially as good, is better than the open air 
for wood hives. It, should be near the apiary, and if no 
side hill is within convenient distance, it may be made 
on the level, excavating for one half the depth of the 
room, if dry enough ; or if not, make a room above 
ground. But it will require much more expense and 
trouble to make it answer as well as a cellar. The dif- 
ficulty is in a lack of uniformity in the temperature, 
rather than in the inability to make it warm enough. 

A few days of warm weather outside, will make bees 
uncomfortably warm within, and many will be wasted. 
To confine them to the hive does not avail much, as they 
will continue their endeavors to get out, until they worry 
themselves to death. Towards spring, this difficulty in- 
creases. A few bushels of snow or pounded ice laid on 
the floor, will do much towards keeping them quiet, till 
the time to set them out. A room, even above ground, 
should be made to obviate this difficulty in a great degree. 

A BUILDING FOR THE PURPOSE. 

Put up the frame of the desired size, board it inside 
and out, leaving a space of ten or twelve inches between, 
to be filled with some non-conductor of heat, such as saw- 
dust or spent tan-bark. Then enclose this with another 
frame, leaving two feet on every side for a dead-air space 
in which, if necessary, snow or ice may be packed, which 
will have a tendency to keep the temperature more uni- 
form. The inside can be arranged as already described. 

ROOM IN THE DWELLING HOUSE. 

Rather than the wooden hive should stand in the open 
air, I would appropriate some small room in the house ; 



WINTERING BEES. 299 

make it dark, and secure as even a temperature as possible. 
Some bees will be wasted, yet not as many as on the stand. 

BURYING BEES. 

The conditions under which it is advisable to bury 
them, are sometimes found. A dry sandy soil is best. 
The pit should be dug where there is perfect drainage, 
and the hives should be surrounded on every side with 
straw, enough to absorb all the moisture from the bees, 
if not very much of that from the ground. The hive 
should be inverted, or laid on the side. As the bees 
produce some heat, it is not necessary to bury quite as 
deep as would keep potatoes from freezing. It is not ad- 
visable to put a great many in one pit, as there would be 
too much heat ; also it would be necessary to take them 
all out at one time, very expeditiously, and the difficulty 
of their mixing, would be encountered. Make several 
pits, if a large number is to be wintered in this way. 
The labor is but little more, and there are certainly 
several advantages. A very few would winter better in a 
pit than in a room or cellar. In the first case they can be 
covered with earth, till properly warm, but in the other, 
they must keep themselves warm. 

One object in protecting bees, is to save honey. The 
colder they are, the more they consume. The horse or 
ox consumes his food to replace the warmth that is 
thrown off on the cold air. The quantity seems to be re- 
gulated by the degree of cold; they refuse a portion of 
tempting provender in the warm days of spring, and 
greedily devour large quantities in the pelting storm. 
The farmer houses his cattle in winter on the score of 
economy. The same consideration should prevail with 
reference to his bees. 



300 WINTERING BEES. 

STRAW HIVES. 

There are some bee-keepers who from some cause, can- 
not be induced to make a room or cellar available, and 
others who prefer to leave them on their summer stands. 
To such I would recommend the straw hive. 

Not old fashioned conical shaped hives ; although the 
objection to it, is simply the want of adaptation to im- 
proved bee-culture. We have all heard of the great 
success in wintering in " the old-fashioned straw hive," 
fifty or a hundred years ago. They were discarded, it is 
said on account of harboring the moth-worm, and in- 
convenience. Mr. Langstroth says : " Straw hives are 
warm in winter and cool in summer ;" and again, "Hives 
made of wood are at the present time fast superseding 
all others." Notwithstanding this, I shall err greatly in 
my judgment if straw as a material for hives, does not 
in a great measure regain its former position in public 
favor. We now have straw hives of convenient shape, 
some of them covered by a patent, but that is chiefly on 
the manner of holding the straw. The proper degrees 
of heat and cold when most desirable, are great ad- 
vantages, and can be obtained on principles long ago 
recognized. 

PHILOSOPHY. 

It is found that solid bodies are much better conductors 
of heat than porous ones. To illustrate : put on a 
rubber coat, or a woolen one, one impervious to air and 
water, the other freely admitting both; one conducts 
away the heat and retains the moisture, while the other 
retains the warmth, and allows the insensible perspira- 
tion to leave the body. A linen or cotton garment* is a 
much better conductor of heat, than one made of wool. 
Perhaps this is owing to the fact that the fibres lie more 
compactly. 



WINTERING BEES. 301 

Ah* is a poor conductor of heat. We readily succeed 
in warming a room, but it is when the heated air can 
move from the fire, forming a current, and is replaced by 
cold air to become heated in turn. But confine the air 
in what we call a dead-air space, as is done in the walls 
of a house, or, if you please, within the interstices of a 
woolen fabric, and the heat passes off very slowly. I 
can readily conceive that straw, the leaves of the cat-tail 
flag, or broom-corn stalks, used as a material for bee- 
hives would act similarly as a non-conductor of heat, the 
thousands of tiny air-cells, being so many dead-air spaces 
to prevent the escape of the heat, and permit the passage 
of moisture. I speak comparatively, for some warmth 
will of course escape, but not so much by far as when a 
wood hive is properly ventilated. 

It is thus apparent that a wood hive thoroughly water- 
soaked would conduct away the heat far more rapidly 
than when perfectly dry. In the one case the pores of 
the wood are filled with water, thus becoming a good 
conductor like a wet garment ; in the other the pores are 
occupied with air, and the heat leaves slowly. The more 
numerous the air-cells, the slower it will pass. Hives 
made with double walls of boards, enclosing a dead-air 
space, do very well in regard to warmth, but do not dis- 
pose of the moisture with sufficient rapidity. 

The moisture must be got rid of, and in no way can it 
be done so well, as by straining it through straw. Be- 
side being advantageous for wintering, straw hives are 
superior in keeping the temperature wanner, and more 
uniform, throughout the spring, thus promoting early 
breeding and swarming. After the beginning of summer 
they do not seem to possess any special advantage over 
wood hives, further than that their combs are less liable 
to melt down. But the objection first raised by most 
persons — the harbor for the moth-worm — has not arisen 



302 WINTERING BEES. 

in my experience. Out of a large number containing 
bees through, the summer, not one has ever been injured 
in this way. However, I think it better economy to 
change the combs, bees, etc., to the wood hive for the 
summer, and back again in December. A straw hive will 
decay faster during use in summer, than in winter. Also 
it will receive a coating of propolis during July and 
August, that will render it less efficient in ridding it- 
self of moisture. I say less efficient, because it is better 
than wood, at any rate.* 

The top must certainly be removed to give place to the 
surplus boxes, and should be kept in the best possible 
condition for receiving the moisture, when iised again the 
following winter. The top is much more important than 
the sides, and if the latter should become impervious to 
moisture and air, the bees would be warm enough to 
enable the top to absorb all the moisture before it would 
freeze. The operation of transferring from wood to straw 
hives may be performed at any time from October to 
January. The first cold snap in December is a suitable 
time. 

Take the bees to a somewhat darkened room to prevent 
them from flying. Let the combs occupy the same re- 
lative position in the straw hive as in the other. Each 
comb, when lifted out, should have made in it a passage 
for the bees, three-fourths of an inch in diameter. It can 
be made in a moment with a knife, and is often important 
as a means by which the bees can pass from one comb to 
another, when in need of honey, and also to allow the 
queen to pass to different combs to deposit eggs, when 
the weather is not mild enough to permit her to go around 
the edo-es. 



* Propolis can be removed from a hive if desired, by scalding, or crumbling, 
by striking or rubbing when very cold. Transferring the bees to some other 
hive meanwhile. 



WINTERING BEES. 303 

I like this method better than the coiled shaving re- 
commended by Mr. Langstroth, because that cannot al- 
ways be in the place most convenient for the bees. It is 
frequently in the midst of sealed honey. 

The condition of the bees may be ascertained at any 
time by simply raising the top mat. As the hives sit 
near the earth, the snow may be allowed to drift around 
them. Should warm days occur before the snow is gone, 
when it is suitable for the bees to fly, it is not important 
to shovel it away from the entrance to allow them to 
issue. Remove the roof and slide the mat back a few 
inches; the bees will fly off and return without hin- 
drance. 

The walls of these hives are not as quickly warmed 
through by the rays of a winter's sun, as those of wood. 
Not until the whole surrounding air is mild enough for 
them to issue safely, do they become aroused, and desire 
to come out, and then it is usually safe to allow it. 

STRAW TOP. 

There are some apiarians who are unable to have the 
best and most profitable hive, and yet wish to winter 
their bees in the open air. 

Perhaps a few such persons may be induced to make 
a hive that will admit of a straw top for winter. It 
would cost but little more to make a mat of straw, or 
flags, or even corn-cobs, to just suit the top of the hive. 

Put bars or slats across the top to support the combs. 
The top board used in summer, may be held by screws, 
and is easily removed when desired. Such mat will ab- 
sorb, nearly, if not quite all of the moisture, and the bees 
are in much better condition in consequence. 

I will make some further suggestions to those who use 
the box hive, and have decided to take the chances of 
wintering: on the summer stand with the least trouble. 



304 WINTERING BEES. 

SIMPLE BOX. 

Entire success can attend those only who select none 
but the best stocks for winter, and secure for them the 
following conditions. 

They must have air at all times and must be kept from 
freezing. The first condition will secure the last. If the 
bottom of the hive rests on the board, and there are but 
small openings at the bottom, and none at the top, all 
the moisture condenses on the combs and sides of the 
hives. A warm day melts it, and every thing in the hive 
is wet. Sudden severe weather freezes all solid. In this 
way, even strong, heavy stocks are lost. A special vent 
should be opened at the top to correspond with the 
bottom. A current of air passing through, will carry 
off the surplus moisture, and keep the combs compar- 
atively dry, but a great deal of the heat that would be 
beneficial to the bees will go with it. This moisture is 
received in the cover of the honey boxes, which may, 
with benefit, be filled with hay, straw, or cobs to ab- 
sorb it. 

If the hive has no upward ventilation it should be 
raised at least an inch from the board, to give all pos- 
sible circulation below ; it will keep the lower ends of 
the combs dry, at least ; but the upper ends may be a 
little frosty and moldy. 



To prevent the depredations of the mice when so raised, 
a strip of wire-cloth, a little more than an inch wide, 
surrounding the hive at the bottom, and held in place by 
a few tacks, will be effectual. The hole in the side should 
be covered with the same. It should be so put on in 
both places, that the bees may have room to pass at one 
edge. When thus guarded, the hives may remain under 
a snow drift for months, without danger from mice, 



WESTTERIKG BEES. 305 

smothering, or freezing. Indeed, bees could hardly spend 
the winter in a more desirable situation. In a few hours 
after the snow has covered them, it is melted for a space 
of four inches on all sides of the hive, and sufficient air 
circulates through it, for all their necessities. 



It has been strongly urged to keep all hives out of 
the sun, without regard to the strength of the colony, 
because an occasional warm day allures the bees out- 
side, when they get on the snow and perish. This is a 
loss, to be sure, but there is a possibility of inducing a 
still greater one by endeavoring to avoid the lesser. I 
have already said, that the second rate or poor stocks 
may occasionally starve with plenty of stores in the hive, 
on account of frosty combs. 

If the hive is kept from the' sun, in the cold, the periods 
of temperate weather may not occur as often as the bees 
exhaust the honey within their circle or cluster. But on 
the contrary, when the sun can strike the hive, it warms 
up the bees, and melts the frost more frequently. The 
bees may then go among their stores, and obtain a 
supply, generally, as often as needed. We seldom have 
a winter without enough sunny days for this purpose, 
but when such a one occurs, stocks of this class should 
be taken to a warm room, once in eight or ten days, for 
a few hours at a time, to give them an opportunity to get 
at the honey. 

LOST ON THE SNOW. 

As for bees being lost on the snow when flying out, 
I apprehend that not many more are lost there than on 
the frozen earth, that is, in the same kind of weather. I 
have seen them chilled and lost on the ground by 
hundreds, when a casual observer would not have noticed 



306 WINTERING BEES. 

them ; whereas, had they been on the snow, every bee 
would have been noticable at the distance of several 
rods. Snow is not to be dreaded so much as chilly air. 
Suppose that a hive stands in the sun throughout 
the winter, and the bees are permitted to leave when 
they choose, and a portion is lost on the snow; and 
that it were possible to number all that are lost by be- 
coming chilled on the bare earth, throughout the season, 
the number lost on the snow would not be one in twenty. 
A person who has not observed closely during the damp 
and chilly weather in April, May, or even the summer 
months, has no adequate conception of the number. Yet 
I do not wish to be understood that those lost on the 
snow are of no consequence, by any means. On the 
contrary, a great many are lost that might be saved by 
proper care. But I would like to impress the fact that 
warm air is essential, and that crusted snow is as safe a 
footing for a bee, as frozen earth. Even melting snow is 
solid footing for a bee ; it can and does rise from it, with 
the same ease as from the earth. Bees that perish on 
the snow under these circumstances, would be likely to 
be lost in any case. 

The worst time for them to leave the hive is imme- 
diately after a new snow has fallen, because it will not 
sustain their weight, and they soon work themselves 
down out of the sun, and speedily perish. Should it 
clear off pleasant after a storm of this kind, a little at- 
tention will probably be remunerated. To prevent their 
leaving the hive at such times, a wide board should be set 
up before it, at least as high as the entrance in the side, to 
protect it from the sun. But if it grows so warm that 
the bees leave the hive when thus shaded, it is fair evi- 
dence, that it will do to let them sally out freely, except 
in case of a new snow, when they should be confined to 
the hive. 



WINTERING BEES. 307 

The hive may Tbe let down on the floor-hoard, the pas- 
sage in the side covered with wire-cloth, and made dark ; 
raising, at night again, as before directed. 

I have known hundreds of colonies wintered success- 
fully without any such care, the bees being allowed to 
issue whenever they choose. Their subsequent health 
and prosperity proved that it was not altogether ruinous. 

It has been recommended to enclose the whole hive 
by a large box set over it, and made perfectly dark; 
with means for ventilation, etc. 

For large families it would do well enough, as would 
also some other methods. But I would rather take the 
chances of letting them all stand in the sun, and issue 
at pleasure, than to have the warmth of the sun entirely 
excluded from the medium sized families. 

I never knew a whole colony to be lost from cold 
alone, but I have known a great many to starve, merely 
because the sun was not allowed to melt the frost on the 
combs, and give them a chance to get at their stores. 

There are some extremely economical bee-keepers who 
urge the additional objection to allowing bees to stand 
in the sun, that " every time bees come out in winter, 
they discharge their excrement, and eat more honey in 
consequence of the vacant room." What an absurdity 
it would be to apply this principle to the horse, whose 
health, strength, and vital heat is sustained by the as- 
similation of food ! The farmer is not to be found who 
would think of saving his provender by such means. 
That bees are supported in cold weather on the same 
principle, is indicated strongly, if not conclusively. 

Is it not desirable, if what has been said on the subject 
of wintering bees is correct, to keep our bees warm and 
comfortable when practicable, as a means of saving honey? 

To winter bees in the best manner, considerable care is 
required. Whenever you are disposed to neglect them, 



308 THE ITALIAN" OR LIGTTRIAN BEE. 

you should remember that one early swarm is worth two 
late ones, and that their condition in spring often determines 
which you shall have. Like a team of cattle or horses, when 
well wintered, they are ready for the season's work, hut 
if neglected, they need a long time in which to recruit, 
before they are able to make themselves useful. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

THE ITALIAN OR LIGURIAN BEE. 
REPUTATION. 

Much attention has recently been attracted to this new 
variety. The reputation given it by extensive and intel- 
ligent apiarians in Germany and other places, induced 
some of our citizens to import a few colonies some time 
in '59 or '60. As to who took the lead in this enterprise, 
there are various conflicting claims, which I shall not be 
able to reconcile. 

IMPORTERS. 

Mr. Mahan of Philadelphia, and Mr. Parsons of Flush- 
ing, N". Y„ were among the first to disseminate them 
from the imported stock. Afterwards, Mr. Rose of New 
York, obtained these bees directly from their native Alps, 
and sent out large numbers. Those, to whom the first 
were sent, soon spoke in the highest terms of their supe- 
rior qualities ; representing them as fully sustaining the 
reputation they had gained before their arrival. 

SUPERIORITY. 

-It was said that they were larger, more beautiful and 
hardy, more prolific, and more industrious than the com- 



THE ITALIAN OR LIGUEIAN BEE. 809 

mon bees ; that they swarmed earlier and more frequent- 
ly, were less inclined to sting, more disposed to rob, and 
more courageous and active in self-defence ! In corrobo- 
ration of this, Dr. Kirtland of Cleveland, Ohio says, — I 
quote from Mr. Parsons' Circular, — " Their beauty of 
coloring, and graceful forms, render them an object of in- 
terest to every person of taste. My colonies are daily 
watched and admired by many visitors. So far as my 
experience has gone, I find every statement in regard to 
their superiority sustained. They will no doubt prove a 
valuable acquisition to localities of high altitude, and 
will be peculiarly adapted to the climate of Washington 
Territory, Oregon, and the mountainous regions of Cali- 
fornia." The Rev. L. L. Langstroth says, "If we may 
judge from the w orking of my colonies, the Italians will 
fully sustain their European reputation. They have gath- 
ered more than twice as much honey as the swarms of 
the common bee. This honey has been chiefly gathered 
within the last few weeks, during which time the swarms 
of common bees have increased in weight but very little. 
The season here has been eminently unfavorable for the 
new swarms — one of the worst I ever knew — and the 
prospect now is, that I shall have to feed all of them ex- 
cept the Italians." Mr. E. A. Brackett says, " My ex- 
perience thus far satisfies me that the value of the Italian 
Bee has not been overrated. The queens are larger and 
more prolific ; the workers when bred in comb of their 
own building are larger, and their honey-sacs larger. 
They are less sensitive to cold, and are more industrious. 
In all my handling of them, (and I have done so pretty 
freely, lifting the combs and examining them almost dai- 
ly,) I have never known one to offer to sting." 

WHEN FIRST OBTAINED. 

The reports of many others were equally favorable ; 
and no one has as yet reported unfavorably. I obtained 



310 THE ITALIAN OR LIGUEIAK BEE, 

queens of this variety from most of the parties who had 
imported them — from Mahan, Parsons, and Rose. 

OBJECT. 

I procured them, not because I expected to find them 
as perfect as represented, but because I wished to be able 
to express an opinion of them based upon actual experi- 
ence. I wished also to verify by ocular demonstration 
many points in the natural history of the bee, with re- 
gard to which some of us, it is true, were already suffici- 
ently well satisfied, but which at the same time were not 
so clear to the majority of bee-keepers; and this object 
the new variety would materially aid me to accomplish. 
But I had become so accustomed to look upon the won- 
ders told of patent hives as extravagant and fabulous, 
and circulated only to victimize the ignorant, that when 
I heard the seemingly extravagant praises of the Italians, 
I very naturally put them in the category of humbugs 
pertaining to the bee. When obtained, if I had any 
bias, it was against them rather than otherwise. I was 
satisfied that among the number of bees in my apiaries, 
I would have greater opportunities for investigation and 
comparison than most of those who had fewer colonies. 
All of us who have had much experience know, that a- 
mong colonies of the common bee, apparently equal in 
all respects, there will sometimes be a difference of one- 
half in results. This shows that nothing reliable can be 
deduced from the experience of one or two seasons in 
small apiaries — say of a dozen stocks, half of them 
Italians, even if the latter surpass the common bee by fifty 
per cent., although one might very honestly conclude 
that the greater thrift of the Italians in such case was 
entirely owing to their superior qualities. We can hope 
to arrive at a just conclusion, only, by comparing the re- 
sults of numerous trials in large apiaries. 



THE ITALIAN OR LIGUFwIAN BEE. 311 

Determined to get the best, if there was any difference, 
I obtained a queen from each party. The first one pro- 
duced fully one-half of her workers of the native color. 
Having no faith in the purity of this one I did not dare 
to rear a queen from her. The next was not obtained till 
late in the season, owing to the management of certain 
interested friends at headquarters — of which friends most 
men are unfortunate enough to have more or less. At 
length, however, I obtained two, one of them in time to 
rear a few queens, the most of which were dark. The 
workers were fine. The next spring (1861) I raised a 
large number of beautifully colored queens. I had several 
stocks of hybrids from the queens reared the previous 
year, which had mated with the native drone. On these, 
with one drone queen, I depended for early drones for 
the young queens. I found that the drones from light- 
colored queens were much better marked than those from 
dark ones — indeed, a great many of the latter appeared 
no better than the natives. Yet, they had to be consid- 
ered pure. Nearly all the queens raised at this time, be- 
fore the appearance of the native drones, produced genu- 
ine Italian workers. 

PECOT. TA .TIHTES. 

I now began to watch their peculiarities with consider- 
able interest. I had two colonies nearly all changed, 
several hybrids, and a number in which I had just intro- 
duced the queen. I had about 60 native colonies, and 
all the Italians, marked with the yellow stripe, which 
would have made about three good swarms, in one 
apiary. White Clover was blossoming in abundance, 
and the Early Red, or June Clover, in small quantities. 
Here was a chance to see if they frequented the red clover 
more than the natives. I found nine Italians to two na- 
tives on this plant. The two exceptions might have been 



312 THE ITALIAN OK LIGaTRIAST BEE. 

black hybrids.* I discovered some on a little ball of 
wax, made by the squeezing together by the hand, of bits 
of old, dry comb, that had been accidentally left in the 
sun. It was packed on their legs like pollen, and carried 
to the hive. I had never seen the native bees thus en- 
gaged. Here was another item to their credit, which, 
although of little account in itself, suggested that if they 
could turn to good account one stone rejected by the 
builders, they might also other and greater ones. 

LOKGER LIVED. 

But more important than this, it soon became evident 
that they were longer-lived. Some time in October I de- 
prived three ordinary-sized colonies of their queens and 
united them, giving them brood from an Italian queen. 
This brood occupied both sides of a comb some five or six 
inches square. It matured and a queen was produced. At 
this time there was about one Italian to fifty or one hun- 
dred natives. There being no increase except of drones, 
the queen proving barren of workers, the^ colony was 
pretty well reduced by the last of May. But the propor- 
tion of the Italians to the natives had been steadily on the 
increase. I now introduced a moderate family of natives, 
in order to continue the production of Italian drones. In 
a few weeks more, they again became reduced, worms ap- 
peared, and the colony was broken up. Not far from one- 
third of the remnant was Italians. Evidence of the 
strongest kind was here furnished, showing that they live 
longer than the natives.f 



* This was important to me. If the honey from white clover would sustain 
60 or 80 colonies, that from the red would sustain nearly as many more, and I 
could keep double the number in each year. 

t It explains how a greater proportion of very weak colonies of Italians are 
increased into strong ones ; than there are of the natives. Also how they retain 
their strength when all their combs are so nearly hlled with honey, that but few 
cells arc left for breeding. 



THE ITALIAN OE LIGIJEIAN BEE. 313 

ROBBING. 

Their robbing propensities were also closely watched 
with the expectation of finding their appetite for maraud- 
ing, insatiable. This propensity is indicated by their keen 
sagacity in scenting out any exposed honey that may 
chance to be in their vicinity. If standing uncovered on 
a table in the dining room, with the tempting avenue of 
an open window or door, the bees are quite sure to find 
it, especially at certain seasons, but the first one on hand 
is sure to be an Italian, notwithstanding nineteen twen- 
tieths of the apiary may be natives. Judging from this 
alone, we should conclude at once that they are unscru- 
pulous robbers ; and no doubt they are when there are 
colonies within reach, reduced to entire helplessness. But 
with me they were not half so troublesome as the black 
rascals. Whether I had no weak stocks to tempt them to 
begin, or whether they had a little principle of forbear- 
ance, I cannot tell. To see what they would do, I now 
had them standing promiscuously with the others through- 
out the yard. They were kept thusfor two seasons with 
this object expressly in view. I thought it very likely that 
the wealth of stores which they were reputed to gain 
much more rapidly than the common bee, would be found 
to be composed in great part of plunder taken from their 
neighbors. But the idea had to be dismissed. In self-de- 
fence, they were vigilant and active. If a native ap- 
proached the entrance of their domicile, he was seized and 
despatched without hesitation. Even an Italian venturing 
too near a strange colony was not favored. But I have 
kept my little boxes for rearing queens, successfully, 
though defended by only a handful of bees, till late in 
November. 

The results of this season's experience were very satis- 
factory. I found the stocks of Italians, the hybrids as 
well as those in which the queens had been early intro- 
14 



814 THE ITALIAN OR LIGUEXAN BEE. 

duced, averaging heavier than the others. Where the 
queens had been introduced, however, the season was well 
advanced before the bees were all changed, and such stocks 
therefore did not furnish a perfect test. Neither did the 
full blood colony from which I was taking brood to rear 
queens, since it was fed at different periods to promote 
breeding, and at the same time kept reduced to prevent 
swarming. 

In the spring of 1862 I sold nearly all my pure queens, 
keeping only a few to breed from, and the hybrids. 

DISPOSITION. 

Long before this time, I had learned much about their 
amiable disposition. They had exceeded my expectations 
in so many particulars, that for a long time whenever 
they manifested any unusual ill-nature I found myself 
seeking some apology in the peculiar circumstances of the 
case. But I was at last reluctantly forced to admit that 
the Italian bees, especially the hybrids, were cross — not 
moderately so, but just as cross, it seemed, at times, as 
they knew well how to be. In the season of swarming 
for instance, to hive some swarms without pi'otection 
would be perfect madness; others would be less irritable. 
In the season of honey, any time between ten o'clock in 
the morning and four in the afternoon, when the weather 
is fine, I have no difficulty in opening the hive to obtain 
brood, or for any other purpose. While at work they do 
not seem to notice much that is going on around them. 
Walking among them at such times seldom attracts 
attention. But when I would fasten up a colony that 
had been sold, and was now about to be sent away, 
I had to do it of course when the whole family was at 
home, usually in the morning ; and at such times every 
bee would seem a warrior bent on driving me away. By 
the use of smoke I could drive them like the black bees 



THE ITALIAN OR LIGURIAN BEE. 315 

among the combs and out of the way, but while the latter 
would be quickly and easily subdued, the former would 
return again and again, darting at my face like a shot, and 
not always without effect. They are remarkably quick. 
When I stand within two or three feet of a family of 
black bees, and see one start for my face, I can often 
avert it in time to prevent a sting ; but he must be a skill- 
ful swordsman, who would thus parry the lightning-thrust 
of the Italian. 

The results obtained during the summer of 1862 corre- 
sponded with those of the preceding year, and tended 
strongly to establish their superiority. 

STVAKMING. 

Having a large proportion of hybrids, I had an oppor- 
tunity to observe their swarming qualities. I found that 
they swarmed more, began earlier, and continued later, 
than the native bees. During the season of '63 there was 
a still greater difference manifest. The hybrids and a few 
pure ones, about seventy in number, constituted the whole 
apiary. Having no native bees in the yard with them — 
which of course would have furnished a more complete 
test — I had to compare them with others near by. With- 
in three miles, in different directions, were six large apia- 
ries, comprising nearly 300 colonies. If I except a few 
hybrids in one yard, the whole of them together failed to 
produce as many swarms as this one. Yet each of these 
six apiaries had the advantage of pasture, being located on 
the outside. The Italians began to swarm three weeks 
before the others. The first one, a hybrid, issued on 
the 20th of May, and a second from the same hive, on the 
30th. As this was a season of but little honey, these two 
were put in hives containing combs and a little honey 
gathered the year before. By the 11th of July the old 



316 THE ITALIAN OK LIGUEIAN BEE. 

hive had again become full of bees, and a third swarm is- 
sued. The first swarm, hived May 20th, sent out a swarm 
June 30th, and a second July 9th ; while the second 
swarm, hived May 30th, swarmed July 19th, making 
six swarms from one in a season. The other Italians 
did not swarm so excessively. The last three swarms got 
mixed with others and further trace of them was lost. 
The old hive and the first one from it, contained at the end 
of the season, strong colonies with ample stores for winter. 
The season for honey was one of the poorest that I ever 
knew. So little was obtained that but few of the natives 
could afford to swarm, and many that did so, failed to se- 
cure stores for winter, as did also some of the swarms. 
Some of the Italians did but little better in gathering 
honey. When it is not to be had, all must do without. 
But they gathered pollen, and reared brood, with thrice 
the energy of the natives. Swarms came out as late as 
22nd of August, when scarcely any honey was to be col- 
lected. This propensity to swarm in such a season — I will 
not call it oyer-swarming, because in all cases, bees enough 
were left — was of no particular advantage. I mention it 
to show their perseverance in improving all possible 
conditions. It will be supposed that if they swarm thus in 
seasons of scarcity, a season of plenty would cause them 
to issue still more extravagantly. I have not found it so 
thus far ; for this reason, as I suppose. The combs are 
quickly filled with honey, and brood is excluded. In 
spring, there are empty combs of course, and they fill up 
with brood, while the flowers yield little else than pollen. 
As soon as the first swarm leaves, which is usually in a 
season of honey, every bee that hatches leaves a cell that 
cannot be again occupied with an egg, within two or three 
weeks, which will allow the bees to fill it with honey ; 
and by the time the young queen is ready to commence 
laying, her field of operations is limited to a very few 



THE ITALIAN" OB LIGUKIAN" BEE. 317 

combs near the bottom, not enough to admit of rearing 
bees for another swarm. 

HIVE CROWDED WITH BEES EST COOL WEATHER. 

On examining the hives at the commencement of cold 
weather, I found the whole colony packed into the small 
space at the bottom where the brood was hatched. A 
person not acquainted with the cause of their clustering 
so low down, would at once suppose that he had a jn-o- 
digious family, when in reality the whole number would be 
no greater than in a colony of natives, where they were 
gathered half way to the top. It must be admitted that a 
colony with an excess of stores, is not in the best condition 
for winter, especially in the open air. Very likely the com- 
plaint will be made when this is the case, that the Italians 
do not winter well, even when "the hive was full of 
honey." 

REMEDY. 

The stores may be reduced, and the condition for winter 
improved, by dividing such colony at the proper season, 
and giving them empty combs for raising brood, or empty 
frames in which to construct combs. Both divisions will 
soon have plenty of breeding cells, and at the end of the 
season, will probably be stronger, than if confined to the 
few cells sometimes left for breeding in the full colony. 
If dividing would make them entirely too weak, it would 
benefit them greatly to remove several full combs, and re- 
place with empty combs or frames. These bees are liable 
to excesses; when honey is scarce, they rear brood; when 
abundant, they gather too much for their own good. 
They will need supervision, and movable combs of some 
form are requisite. In giving my experience, I have given 
what may be considered as the general rule. There are 
exceptions in individual cases as with other bees. To sin- 



318 THE ITALIAN OR LIGURIAN BEE. 

gle out and report either extreme is unfair ; that which is 
true of the majority, is the only reliable criterion. 

I have now related my observations on nearly all the 
points of character enumerated at the beginning, as well 
as some others. That they are less sensitive to cold, I am 
not yet prepared to say. That they are more prolific, is 
sufficiently proved. It is also clearly indicated that they 
are less so, in good honey seasons. It is also shown that 
they swarm earlier. Their disposition was found gener- 
ally much worse than represented, yet under some cir- 
cumstances very mild. 

I think it very probable that many who obtain them 
will expect too much, and ,meet with disappointment. 
They may procure a colony that proves to be the excep- 
tion to the rule, or the queen may be impure, producing 
nothing but hybrids. Although a half blood progeny will 
be much superior to the natives, the next remove will be 
so much reduced that they will not be a fair sample. 

PURITY TO BE SECURED 

I would advise all those who are disposed to try them, 
to purchase only of some reliable man, who will guarantee 
the purity of all he sells, so that if the first queen pro- 
cured, should prove impure, it would be replaced by oth- 
ers, until a pure one was obtained.* The lowest price is 
not always cheapest. Bee-keepers have not as yet been 
able to decide on a reliable test of purity, a test that 
would detect the slightest mixture of native blood, with 
the genuine Italian. All admit that a yellow band must 
surround the abdomen of pure Italian workers ; and that 



* To change a colony of bees from the native to the Italian, it is only neces- 
sary to remove the native queen and introduce a pure Italian. She will at once 
commence laying eggs, and in about three months, the whole colony will be 
Italians. 



THE ITALIAN OR UGUEIAK BEE. 319 

the drones, a part of them, at least, must be marked ir- 
regularly, the baud being somewhat scalloped. 

VARIATION EST COLOR OF QUEENS, 

Among the queens there is a great variation in color, 
some being even blacker than the natives, while the ab- 
domen of others, is a beautiful yellow nearly its whole 
length. These are the marks, it is said, by which they 
are distinguished in their home in the Alps, where they 
are surrounded by a barrier of mountains impassable to 
the common bee. 

It is said that they have existed there since the days 
of Virgil and Aristotle. If they existed at that time, as 
a superior variety, it would seem to be a mark against 
them that they have not become the predominant variety. 
That they should be indebted to the protection of sur- 
rounding mountains for their very existence is not much 
in their favor. It seems to be a law of nature that the 
poor and feeble shall be superseded by the better and 
stronger races. 

As they are not a distinct species like the Stingless Bee 
of the tropics, but only a variety of the common bee, — 
as is proved by their mixing with them through all the 
grades, — I would suggest that they have grown into their 
present status through the influence of climate and sur- 
rounding circumstances, and that the impassable moun- 
tain enclosure has prevented all degrading alliances. 

SUSCEPTIBLE OP rMPROVEMEjSTT. 

That bees may have changed from the common black 
to the brilliant specimens before us, in a few centuries or 
thousands of years, is indicated by similar changes in our 
domestic animals. "We have the Pony, Cart, Farm, and 
Thoroughbred — horse: we have the Native, Ayrshire, 
Devon, and Durham, in neat cattle ; the Newfoundland, 
Terrier, Hound, Pointer, and Poodle, among dogs, and all 



320 THE ITALIAN OR LIGUKIAN BEE. 

gradations of domestic fowls from the enormous Asiatic, 
to the tiny Bantam. All these differences have followed 
some adequate producing cause, and had we the whole 
genealogy in each case, we could doubtless go back to 
one original stock. Great changes are effected by select- 
ing some point desirable to propagate, such as size, sym- 
metry of proportions, or color, and breeding from such 
only as exhibit the desired qualities in the greatest per- 
fection. The longer we breed in one direction, or the 
greater the number of generations that have exhibited 
particular qualities, the more we expect to find those 
points in the offspring, and the more the chances of their 
showing the original type, are diminished. But a few 
years since, a man conceived a fancy for breeding Shang- 
hai fowls with short legs. He obtained by the first cross 
but a few specimens. Selecting the largest to breed 
from, he obtained a greater proportion of the mixed ones, 
and after a few 'generations, he had almost established a 
new variety, yet the bodies were not quite as large as he 
wished. By crossing again with the large ones, he ob- 
tained a few with short legs, three-quarter size, and by 
continued experiments, he was finally able to show these 
fowls with short legs, and bodies so little inferior in size 
as not to be distinguished by that alone. 

Such examples of progressive improvement point out 
the way in which we can improve these bees in color, if 
hi nothing else. We have only to breed from the best spe- 
cimens, and as several generations can be matured in one 
summer, there should be rapid progress.* Until all the 
bees in a neighborhood are of this kind, there will be 
constant danger of mixing with natives. There must be 
continual vigilance, to discover and remove all such. It 
will not be long before all bee-keepers become satisfied of 



* At present very many of the pure queens are dark colored, even when 
their workers ace all handsomely marked. We should get rid of this feature. 



THE ITALIAN OR LXGUEIAN BEE. 821 

the superiority of the Italians, before which time it can- 
not he expected that they will do much towards changing 
their stock.* 

NEIGHBORS JOIN IN PURCHASING QUEENS. 

Could all that keep bees in one neighborhood be induced 
to begin with the Italians at the same time, each would 
have but comparatively little trouble, but as this cannot 
be looked for, we must consider how a person must man- 
age to preserve their purity when surrounded by the na- 
tives. There are two or three methods. 

MIX THREE MILES DISTANT. 

* If the natives are three miles distant, there is but little 
risk. Should they be nearer, the young queens should 
be taken to some place at least that distance from them, so 
as to meet the pure drones before they commence laying. 

COLONY TO FURNISH DRONES. 

A colony to furnish the drones should be strong and 
must stand near the young queens. One for the purpose 
will rear many more than the usual number, by supply- 
ing it with extra drone-combs. Take out worker-combs 
and replace with drone-combs — taken one each from dif- 
ferent hives, — leaving only worker-combs enough to main- 
tain the strength of the colony. 

As soon as the queen hatches and leaves the cell, the 
box containing her should be taken to this yard, and left 
there till she begins to lay, which will be in about eight 
days, more or less, when she may be introduced to the 
native stock. If there should be any chance for such 
queen to meet a native drone, which would be possible, 



* During the past summer, (1804,) I succeeded in interesting my bee- 
keeping neighbors, with one exception, within three miles, to Italianize their 
bees, and consequently expect to find but few hybrids among my young queens 
throughout the coming summer. 

14* 



322 THE ITALIAN OB LIGUEIAN BEE. 

if one or two native stocks were within the prescribed 
limits, and it was desired to test her purity before intro- 
ducing her, it would be necessary to wait till some of 
her workers hatch. If she has demeaned herself by a 
"mis-alliance" it will usually be manifested by some 
of her workers being black. If she is bright, and it is 
absolutely certain that she was purely impregnated, the 
bees left after she is removed, may be allowed to rear an- 
other queen from her brood ; otherwise, give them brood 
from a queen that you know to be pure. 

METHOD OF ITALIANIZING A WHOLE APIARY. 

There is another method of changing an apiary where 
there is a large number, that may be less trouble than the 
foregoing. Those who are not fully acquainted with the 
natural history of bees, will be hardly able to compre- 
hend it, yet I shall give it, and trust to their becoming 
familiar with the whole subject. 

Queens enough can be reared in one summer to supply 
the whole apiary, no matter how many may be required, 
and if tins is decided upon,/take no pains to isolate, but 
rear all the queens at home/and let them meet the native 
drone. These will produce mixed workers, but pure 
drones.— The impregnation of a queen has no effect on 
her drone progeny. — Introduce a queen into each stock, 
and the next season, perhaps before, if done early, all the 
drones will be pure Italians. Now raise another set of 
queens from the original pure one ; the drones of the 
yard being all pure, they can hardly fail to meet them, 
and consequently the second generation of workers will 
be pure. "'Occasionally, a queen will produce hybrid 
workers ; "as soon as discovered, remove her, and substi- 
tute another. 



THE ITALIAN OB LIGUEIAN BEE. 323 

RAISING AND INTRODUCING QUEENS. 

ARTIFICIAL QUEENS. 

I term queens reared as about to be described, artificial 
queens, in contra-distinction to those raised by the bees 
in the process of natural swarming. 

We will first see how it is to be done with the movable 
comb hive, for it is to be presumed that most who raise 
them will use this hive in some form, as without it, all 
the advantages will not be realized, 

HOY/" TO BEAR THEM. 

Rearing queens artificially is done by enclosing a few 
bees, a pint or a quart, without a queen, with a small 
piece of comb containing larvse or eggs. Make a little 
box, or miniature hive, large enough to hold three combs 
or more, four or five inches square. Suspend frames 
within, just as in the hive. Fit in them pieces of dry 
=-sss»^=«r^^srs'=w^ clean comb, and fasten 

life j«P5r^ 



if" with a bit of tin. Get a 
piece of comb containing 
eggs or larvae, cut in this 
Fig. 34.— comb containing brood shape, two inches long by 

FROM WHICH TO RAISE QUEENS. ft ^ mQrQ ^ ^ ^ 

inch wide. Cut a piece the same size, except underside, out 
of the middle of one of the combs, and insert it thus, sup- 
ported by each end. — See Fig. 34. — The bees will 
weld it fast in a few hours. The space cut out 
below, gives room to make the queen-cells, and they are 
quite sure to make them here. "When the larvce are just 
the right age, six or eight queens will sometimes mature 
in 10 or 11 days, at other times, in 16 or 18. But 
if the grub is over four days old, it is doubtful if it 
can be changed to a queen. This shape of the piece of 
brood comb is better than square, as it gives a 



324 



THE ITALIAN" OR LIGTTRIAST BEE. 



chance to separate the cells should there he several. On 
a square piece they overlap each other, so that one cannot 
be cut out without spoiling most of the others. If you 
want to make the most of the cells you have, get ready 
another box with combs and bees, cut out a piece in the 







^y/~\S 



^ ,;■•- 



Fig. 85. — NO. 34 INSERTED IN A COMB READY FOR THE REARING BOX. 

centre of the comb, and having carefully cut out a queen- 
cell, put it in this space, without bruising or rudely shak- 
ing it. The bees accept this instead of brood, and they 
will have a queen ten days sooner by the operation. 

In about one-third of the cases, the bees will destroy 
such cell ; the operation must then be repeated. It would 
insure safety in all cases, if the cell, with three or four 
bees from the rearing box, and a small quantity of honey 
in a cub of tin-foil or some convenient material, could be 



THE ITALIAN OR LIGURIAN BEE. 



325 



enclosed in a wire-cloth cage, and remain thus until the 
queen hatches, and they have become reconciled to her 
presence. 

It will not do to postpone the removal of these cells 
for more than ten days if you wish to he sure of saving 




Fig. 36. — QUEEN CELLS MADE ON INSERTED COMB. 

all the queens. I have known the oldest one to come out 
of her cell, and destroy all the others in ten clays from 
the time they commenced rearing them. 

HOW TO OBTAIN BEES FOR REARING QUEENS. 

The bees to rear queens, should, when practicable, be 
obtained from hives at least a mile and a half from the 
place where the queens are to be raised. Take them from 
a strong colony. If from the box-hive, invert it and 
drive out a quart or Uvo into an empty hive or box, look 
out the queen if among them, and put her back. If they 



328 THE ITALIAN OB LIGTTEIAN BEE. 

are to be taken from the Movable Comb Hive, take out 
two or three combs and shake the bees off beside the box, 
into which they will run if it is set down with one edge 
raised a little, taking care all the time to not get the queen. 
Shut up the bees by tying a cloth over. Have an 
inch hole in the top of the box containing them, and 
when the small box, with comb, brood, etc., is all ready, 
set it over it, and the bees will enter at once. Not find- 
ing a queen, in a few hours they will commence rearing 
one or more, by converting common cells into queen-cells, 
and worker-larvae into queens. If the bees have been 
taken from a colony at home, it will be necessary to con- 
fine them from thirty-six to forty-eight hours, otherwise 
they may return to the old colony. If taken from a 
colony at a distance, less time will answer. They should 
be fed when shut up, unless some of their combs are 
filled with honey. By obtaining the bees in the middle 
of the day while the old ones are out foraging, a large 
proportion will be young bees that have never left the 
hive, which are considered by many to be better for this 
purpose than old ones ; at least they cannot know the 
wayto their homes. 

BLACK BEES AS NURSES. 

Much has already been said relative to the propriety of 
having black bees as nurses to raise Italian queens. 
Some allege that they impart some taint to the young 
queen, which affects all her future progeny. Mr. Lang- 
stroth, who is entitled to as much confidence as any one, 
thinks it makes but little difference which variety rears 
the queen, provided there is a goodly number and plenty 
of honey. I have never been able to detect any difference. 
The largest and best queens are reared near the swarming 
season. I have observed that a larger proportion of dark 
and undersized ones are raised in cool weather in the fall. 



THE ITALIAN OR LIGTTBLOT BEE. 327 

I have raised nineteen in twenty beautiful queens from one 
mother, in July and August ; and from the same in Octo- 
ber, three out of four would be black and small. 

Mr. Langstroth suggests that the cause of this lies in 
their being reared by weak colonies. After close observa- 
tion, I have failed to discover much in confirmation of this 
view. Weak nuclei with abundance of honey, in warm 
weather, raise fair queens ; strong ones in cool weather 
raise very poor ones. 

BEST TIME TO OBTAIN BROOD. 

From noon till 3 P. M. is decidedly the best time in the 
day to obtain the brood. While busy at work, the bees 
have not time to notice what is going on. Go to the hive, 
containing your best Italian brood, and take out different 
combs, till you find brood of the right age, and with a 
sharp knife, cut out suitable pieces. Have at hand some 
empty clean brood comb, from which cut pieces to ex- 
actly replace them. The bees will soon fasten them in 
place. In these cases it is well to have some smoke on . 
hand, in case of emergency, but it is seldom necessary. 
Care must be observed not to allow brood or a queen-cell 
to become chilled. The rearing boxes, being small, will 
be affected by the changes of the weather, more than 
hives, and on some occasions will need some protection. 
Throw a blanket over the box, or take it in the house 
for the night. 

It is unnecessary to raise queens before there are any 
drones to meet them. It is said by some that the drone 
should be at least two weeks old. About the fifth or sixth 
day after the queen leaves the cell, she issues for the pur- 
pose of meeting the drone ; if successful, she commences 
laying about the eighth day. This rule, however, like oth- 
ers, is liable to exceptions. The queen may be safely in- 
troduced to the native stock, by taking the following pre- 



328 THE ITALIAN OR LIGTJRIAN BEE. 

cautions. A laying queen is received better than a virgin. 
The colony to receive her should be prepared a few days 
previously by removing its queen. 

FINDING BLACK QUEEN. 

She is most easily found in the middle of the day when 
the workers are abroad. If you can take out the frames 
without alarming the bees, your chances of success are 
more certain. Protect the face, and proceed without smoke. 
Pry loose the propolis fastenings, and raise off the top with 
the utmost caution, without jarring or thumping the hive 
sufficient to give alarm. Have an empty hive near, in 
which to put the frames as you take them out. Examine 
the centre combs, or those filled with brood first, when you 
can conveniently. Look over each one carefully; if not 
disturbed, the bees will be spread evenly over the surface, 
and her majesty is easily distinguished, when she can be 
readily taken up with the fingers. But if an alarm ia 
raised, she is the most timid of any, and will get away in 
the corners of the hive, or among a mass of bees, where it 
will need close scrutiny to detect her.* In such case, you 
can either return the whole, and try it again some other 
time, or divide, putting one half the contents in the empty 
hive, and if possible the largest share of bees. Separate 
the combs in each, putting them only in the alternate 
spaces. If several hives are used, they can be still farther 
separated, which will be of some advantage. They be- 
come quiet in a few minutes, and the queen will venture 
out in sight. The bees on the comb with her will be 
quiet, while the others will manifest considerable uneasi- 
ness. This will direct your attention to the proper comb. 
To return the combs to the hive, in the relative position 
before occupied, number them before any are removed. 

There is still another method of finding the queen which 



* The Italians are seldom much alarmed, and the queen is easier found. 



THE ITALIAN OR LIGTJRIAN BEE. 329 

may be preferred. Make a box about one foot square, 
having one of its sides in the form of a door, with hinges, 
and a catch to hold it shut. *Let another side be made of 
narrow slats or strips five thirty-seconds of an inch apart. 
These strips are better made of zinc, cut very accurately, 
but wood will answer. Shake the bees from the combs 
and let them enter this box, close the door, and sift the 
bees — shaking them lengthwise off the bars. The workers 
pass through the spaces, the queen, and drones, if any, 
are retained. If shaken in front of the hive, the bees enter 
as they drop out. The shaking confuses them so that 
they are not disposed to sting.* 

The bees, when returned to the hive destitute of a 
queen, will at once commence operations to remedy the 
loss, by converting some of the worker larvae into queens. 
In about seven days all the eggs left will have passed the 
period when it is possible to change them thus. Now take 
out the combs again, and cut off all royal cells that con- 
tain larvee. The safety of the queen introduced, depends 
greatly on their entire removal. 

The queen might be introduced in less time than this, 
and be accepted, at least without being stung imme- 
diately, yet being so different from the old mother, they 
are not always satisfied, and when they have means, will 
sometimes rear another, notwithstanding her presence. 
It is best to allow them no such opportunity. 

INTRODUCTION OF QUEEN. 

Introduce the queen thus. Secure her with two or 
three of her workers, and a little honey in a wire-cloth 
cage, and insert it among the combs. At the end of 
twenty-four hours, she may be let out among the bees, and 
when the foregoing preliminaries are observed — will be — 



* Wiien the hives from which the bees are taken for rearing boxes, contain 
black drones, they may be separated very readily by this method of sifting. 



330 THE ITALIAN OR LIGUEIAN BEE. 

as far as my experience extends — well received. I have 
succeeded with equal satisfaction, and much less trouble 
with the following method *due to Mr. L. A. Aspinwall. 
It is simply to immerse the queen in a little honey — 
slightly warmed, if necessary — and drop her among the 
bees, which immediately commence licking her off, and 
forget that she is a usurper. This is so much less trouble 
that I prefer it, and consider myself very much indebted 
to him for the suggestion. 

I would remark that if the Italian queen is introduced 
in the swarming season, when the bees are gathering 
abundance of honey, and the colony is strong enough to 
divide — making two — it would be well to do so, as it 
saves the trouble of looking up more than one queen for 
two hives, and you can find this one with much less 
trouble. (Directions for dividing may be found in the 
chapter on artificial swarms.) 

ITALIANIZING THE BOX HIVE. 

There are some who will still continue to use the box 
hive, who will wish to furnish them with Italian queens. 
It can be done, but involves a little more trouble, and 
the bees are kept a little longer without a laying queen ; 
there is also a delay of some weeks, before you are 
certain of success. The process is as follows : 

Drive out the bees, find and remove the queen, allow- 
ing the bees to return immediately. According to the 
rule, in twelve days they will mature a successor, and 
the first one that hatches will destroy the others before 
they mature. In eight days she will commence laying. 

This must not be allowed, but as soon as it is certain 
that she has destroyed all her royal sisters, which will be 
in two or three days at farthest, and before she begins 
laying, she herself must be destroyed. — Any immature 
queens found about the entrance will indicate the des- 



THE ITALIAN OK LIGUEIAN BEE. 331 

traction of her rivals. Drive out the bees again, find 
and kill the queen, and again return them. There is no 
possibility of their rearing another queen, and the Italian 
may be introduced in three days without much risk, if 
the usual precautions are taken. 

Should the first queen that matures in such case, lead 
out a swarm instead of destroying her royal sisters, 
(which she would be likely to do, at any time near the 
swarming season,) it will be some days later before they 
are killed, and unless the colony is very strong, it would 
be best to return the swarm. Hive it, and set it near the 
parent stock till the next morning, then set the bees to 
running into the old hive, and secure the queen. When 
the piping entirely ceases, it may be taken as evidence 
that but one queen remains, and that it is time to operate. 

If it is desired to introduce a queen into a stock that 
has swarmed it can be done on the same principle. The 
only important point is to secure the queen remaining 
after the destruction of the others, before she has begun 
to lay. Any hive that loses its queen by her coming out 
to meet the drone, may be supplied by simply taking the 
trouble to introduce one. 

A neighbor has successfully introduced them to the 
box hive, at the beginning of the swarming season. As 
soon as a stock can spare a swarm, and before any queen- 
cells are finished preparatory to swarming, he drives out 
in the middle of the day a small swarm, and removes the 
old hive a few feet and places the new one on its stand. 
The old bees, that are acquainted with the old place, re- 
turn there and make it strong. Two days afterward the 
young bees that are hatching readily accept of any queen 
that is given them. Old bees would be likely to destroy 
them w T hen given under similar circumstances. 

Queens may be introduced into the box hive by another 
process, in October or November, after the queen is done 



332 THE ITALIAN OR LIGUEIAN BEE. 

laying, or at any time 'when there is no brood in the 
combs from which to rear queens. Drive out the bees, 
remove the old queen, and return them. At the end of 
a week introduce the Italian, and all will be right. If 
there is any risk of eggs or larvae remaining, keep the bees 
out of the hive for a week ; keeping the box containing 
them with a little food, in the cellar or any safe place, till 
it is too late to rear a queen from their own means ; then 
return them, and at the proper time introduce the queen. 

I will give a method by which, with only one movable 
comb-hive, a small apiary may be Italianized in one season. 
Firstly, introduce an Italian queen into a colony occupy- 
ing such hive. Drive out all the bees of some good stock 
into an empty hive, and set this on the stand. Take the 
hive from which the bees were driven, with its contents, 
to the stand of the one with movable combs. Lift out the 
combs and shake or brush the bees down by the box-hive, 
which they will immediately enter. Now take the mov- 
able comb-hive with contents to the other stand, and put 
that colony in it, and your colonies have simply traded 
hives, and each will carry on its usual operations, the same 
as if it had always been there. The one with movable 
combs can now be controlled. After a few hours, when 
the bees have become quiet, take out the combs, find and 
destroy the common queen. 

In a week cut out all queen cells, and give them an 
Italian queen, and when she has filled the comb with eggs, 
four or five days after, this colony may be transferred 
also. Continue the process until all are changed. The 
cells cut out being Italian, may be put in the rearing 
boxes to hatch. 

TRANSPORTING QUEEN. 

A queen with a handful of bees can, with proper care, 
bo sent safely one thousand miles by express. To pack 



PURCHASING STOCKS AND TRANSPORTING BEES. 333 

her properly, have a box just a little larger in length 
and depth than one of the small frames in the rearing 
boxes ; width about two inches inside. The bottom 
should be square ; top the width of the box, and held 
by screws. The comb should be old and tough, and 
contain honey enough for the journey. 



CHAPTER XXV. 

PURCHASING STOCKS AND TRANSPORTING BEES. 

QUALIFICATIONS FOR AN APIARIAN. 

If the reader has no bees, and yet has had interest or 
patience to follow me thus far, it is presumptive evidence 
that he possesses the perseverance requisite to take charge 
of an apiary. He must, however, remember the inevitable 
anxieties and perplexities, and the amount of time that 
proper care requires, as well as the advantages and profit. 
But if he is disposed to try the experiment, some initiatory 
directions may very likely be acceptable. 

LUCK. 

The apparent uncertainty of success in bee-keeping 
has encouraged a general belief in the old tradition of 
"luck," and in no particular must the "fickle dame" be 
conciliated so much, as in the manner of obtaining the 
bees. Concerning this important operation, there seems 
to be a variety of opinions. One will assert that favor is 
secured by stealing one or two stocks to begin with, and 
returning them at some future time. 

Another, a little more conscientious perhaps, says, that 
you must take them without liberty, but leave an equiva- 
lent in money on the stand. 



334 PURCHASING STOCKS AND TRANSPORTING BEES. 

A third assures us, that the only way to secure an 
effectual charm, is to exchange sheep for them; and a 
fourth affirms that bees must always be a gift. These 
methods have all been recommended to me, with gravity 
enough to make an impression. 

But another method has been discovered, which works 
very well, and that is, when you want bees, go and buy 
them, and pay for them, in dollars and cents, or some 
other equivalent. And you need not depend on any 
mysterious charm, for success, — if you do, I can but pre- 
dict failure. It is true that a few believers in " luck " will 
occasionally prosper, but it must be the result of accident, 
for where the true principles of management are not ob- 
served, how can it be otherwise? It is a saying with 
some that " one man can have luck but few years at once," 
and others, none at all, although he tries the whole routine 
of charms. Thirty years ago, when my respected neigh- 
bor predicted a "turn in my luck, because it was always 
so," I could not understand the force of the reasoning, 
unless it belonged to the nature of bees to deteriorate, 
and consequently run out. I at once determined to as- 
certain the truth for myself. 

I could understand how a farmer would often fail in 
raising his crops, if he depended on chance or luck, in- 
stead of upon the fixed principles of nature. It seemed 
to me quite possible -that the same reasoning would apply 
to the culture of bees. I observed that in good seasons 
the majority of bee-keepers were " lucky," and in poor 
seasons, the reverse ; and when two or three of the latter 
occurred in succession, they always "lost their luck." 
It was evident then, that if my bees could by any means 
survive the poor seasons, they would do well enough in 
good ones. The result has given me but little reason to 
complain. 

My advice therefore, is, that reliance be placed on 



PURCHASING STOCKS AND TRANSPORTING BEES. 335 

proper management, alone, and that all superstitious no- 
tions of propitiating some mystic power be thrown to the 
winds.* 

It is quite common for beginners to take bees "on 
shares " as it is termed ; it is a cheap way to begin, and 
there is no risk of loss in capital. 

The general rule is this : one or more stocks are taken 
for a term of years, the person taking them, finding hives 
and boxes, and bestowing the necessary care, and re- 
turning the old stocks to the owner, with half the increase 
and half of the annual profits. 

Yet, if bees prosper, the interest on the money paid 
for them is a mere trifle compared to the value of the 
increase, and there is the same trouble. On the other 
hand, the owner can afford to take care of a few hives 
more, for the half of the profits which he has to give, if 
another takes them. 

There are yet a few persons- who refuse to sell a colony 
of bees, because it is "bad luck." There is often a foun- 
dation for this notion. 

Suppose a person has half a dozen hives, three extra 
good — the others, the opposite. He sells the three good 
ones, for the sake of the better price ; there is but little 
doubt but his " luck " will go too. But had he sold the 
poorer ones, the result would doubtless have been very 
different. 

But sometimes apiarians have more bees than they 
wish too keep, and such are the ones of which to buy. 
Purchasers seldom want any but first-rate stocks — such 
are generally cheapest in the end. 



* I receive scores of letters, detailing the continued success of the writers, 
till they can count their colonies by hundreds, arising from the adoption of a 
common sense method of management. 



338 PURCHASING STOCKS AND TRANSPORTING BEES. 
PURCHASE THE BEST. 

Firstly then, select first-class stocks ; it will make but 
little difference whether they are obtained in fall or 
spring, if winter management is understood. I have al- 
ready said that the requisites for winter were, a numer- 
ous family and plenty of honey, and that the cluster of 
bees should extend through nearly all the combs. 

AVOID DISEASED STOCK. 

To avoid diseased brood, make your purchases, if pos- 
sible, in an apiary where it has not made its appearance. 
There are some who have lost bees from this cause — and 
yet were totally ignorant of the fact. It is well there- 
fore, to inquire if any stocks have been lost, and trace 
out the cause, being careful not to mistake the immedi- 
ate occasion of the loss, for the primary one — which may 
be disease. 

OLD STOCKS NOT OBJECTIONABLE. 

If you are satisfied that there is no foul brood, you 
need not object to stocks two or three years old, they 
are as good and sometimes better than others, especially 
if they have swarmed the season previous, because such 
always have young queens, which are said to be more 
prolific than the old ones, which are nearly always found 
in first swarms. 

When no apiary from which to purchase can be found 
except those in which the disease prevails, you cannot 
be too cautious in making a selection. It would be saf- 
est in this case to take none but young swarms, as it is 
very uncommon for any to be affected the first season. 

Old stocks are as prosperous as any, as long as they 
are healthy, but they are more liable to become diseased 
than young swarms. 

If you are not allowed to take all young stocks, ex- 



PURCHASING STOCKS AND TRANSPORTING BEES. 337 

amine them in pretty cold weather, as the bees will be 
farther up among the combs, and give an opportunity 
for inspecting them. About November, all the healthy 
brood will be hatched. Sometimes a few young bees 
may be left that have matured, and have been chilled 
by sudden cold weather, but these are not diseased — 
the bees will remove them the next season, and no bad 
results will follow. In warm weather, a satisfactory in- 
spection can be made, only with the use of smoke. Be 
particular to reject all that are affected with the disease 
in the least ; do without, rather than begin with such. 
(A full description of the disease has been given in 
Chap, xiv.) 

A neighbor once purchased thirteen hives; six were 
old ones, the others swarms of the previous season. He 
probably knew nothing of foul brood, and as the old 
hives were heavy, he thought them good, but five of the 
six were badly affected. Four were a total loss, except 
the honey ; the fifth lasted through the winter, and then 
had to be transferred. He had flattered himself that 
they were obtained very cheaply, but when he estimated 
the cost of the good ones, he found no great reason for 
congratulation. 

Another point is worthy of consideration : endeavor 
to get hives as near the right size as possible, (viz.) 2000 
cubic inches, — better too large than too small. If too 
large, they may be cut off, leaving them the proper size, 
although this often makes the shape ungainly. But as 
the shape probably makes no difference in the prosperity 
of the bees, when extremes are avoided, the appearance 
is the principal objection.* 

* A hive may be cut off with very little trouble in a cold day. Turn it over — 
the bees will soon find it too cold to venture out— mark it the right size, and saw 
it off. Lift off the piece, and trim off the combs even with the bottom of the 
hive. Use smoke to drive the bees from the ends of the combs. 
15 



338 PURCHASING STOCKS AND TRANSPORTING BEES. 
TRANSPORTING BEES. 

In transporting your bees, avoid, if possible, the two 
extremes of very cold, or very warm weather. In the 
latter the combs are so nearly melted, that the weight of 
the honey well bend them, bursting the cells, spilling 
the honey, and besmearing the bees. In very cold 
weather, the combs are brittle, and easily detached from 
the sides of the hive. When it is necessary to move 
them in winter, they should be put up an hour or two 
before starting. The agitation of the bees on being 
disturbed will create considerable heat, which imparted 
to the combs, will make them less brittle. 

Have ready some carpet tacks, and pieces of thin 
muslin about half a yard square. Invert the hive, put 
the cloth over, neatly folded and fastened with a tack 
at the corners, and another in the middle of each side. 
Crowd the tack in about two-thirds of its length ; it is 
then convenient to pull out when required. 

If the bees are to be taken some distance, and must 
be confined for several days, the muslin will hardly be 
sufficient, and wire-cloth must be substituted. New 
comb will break more easily than old. Probably the 
best mode of conveyance is in a wagon with elliptic 
springs. A wagon without springs is bad, especially 
for young stocks ; yet I have known them to be moved 
safely in this way with care in packing hay or straw 
under and around them, and careful driving. When 
there is good sleighing, a sleigh will answer very well, 
and some prefer this method of transportation. 

Whatever conveyance is employed, the hive should be 
inverted. The combs will then rest on the top, and are 
less liable to break than when right end up, because in 
the latter case the whole weight of the combs must come 
upon the fastenings at the top and sides, and these are 
easily broken. 



PURCHASING STOCKS AND TRANSPORTING BEES. 339 

It is considerable trouble to prepare the movable comb 
hive to be turned over, yet for long journeys, it is abso- 
lutely necessary. Put sticks on each side of each comb, 
in about two places, to hold it steady, (see directions for 
transferring combs in Chap, xix,) then lay on the top of 
the frames, cross-wise, thin strips to hold them in place 
— and fasten on the honey board with screws. 

Turn the hive over, and cover the bottom with wire- 
cloth. With proper care they may be sent by Rail Road 
one thousand miles. I can devise no convenient way of 
fastening the combs in hives that have permanent bot- 
tom-boards, such as Mr. Langstroth and some others 
use. Some other patent hives, like Mr. Hazen's, cannot 
be inverted for transportation. Such must of necessity 
be carried right side up. 

I sometimes transport movable comb hives in this 
manner for very short distances, but with much fear of 
breakage. When I send off a colony of Italians, I dare 
not risk them thus. 

When bees are moved, thus inverted, they will creep 
upward ; in stocks part full, they will often nearly all 
leave the combs and get upon the covering. 

In a short time after being set up, they "will return, 
except in very cold weather, when a few will sometimes 
freeze, consequently, they should be put in a warm room 
for a short time. 

After carrying them a few miles the disposition to sting 
is generally gone. When bees are confined in moderate 
weather, they manifest a persevering determination to 
find their way out, particularly after being moved, and 
somewhat disturbed. I have known them to bite holes 
through muslin in three days. The same difficulty is 
often experienced in attempting to confine them to the 
hive, by cloth, when in the house in winter. 

Should any combs become broken, or detached from 



340 conclusion. 

their fastenings, by moving, rendering them liable to fall 
when set up, the hive may remain inverted on the stand, 
till warm weather if necessary, and the bees have fastened 
them, which they will do soon after commencing work 
in the spring. If they are so badly broken that they 
bend over, rolls of paper should be put between them 
to preserve the proper distance, till secured. While the 
hive is inverted it is essential that there is a hole in the 
side, through which the bees may work. A board should 
fit closely over the bottom, and be covered with a roof 
to effectually exclude all water, etc. When they com- 
mence making new combs it is time to turn the hive right 
end up. 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

CONCLUSION. 

In conclusion I would say that the apiarian who has 
followed me attentively, and has added nothing of value 
to his stock of information, possesses an enviable ex- 
perience. 

It has been said, that " three out of five who commence 
bee-keeping must fail;" but we must suppose that the 
fault arises from ignorance or inattention, and is not in- 
herent in the bees. To the beginner, then, I would say : 
if you expect to succeed in obtaining one of the most 
delicious of sweets for your own consumption, or its 
equivalent value in dollars and cents, you will find some- 
thing more to be requisite than merely "holding the dish 
to catch the porridge." " See your bees often," and 
and know at all times, their actual condition. This one 
precept is worth more than all others that can be given ; 



CONCLUSION. 341 

it stands at the head of all the duties of the apiarian. 
Even the grand secret of successful resistance to the 
worms " keep your bees steong " is subordinate to this. 
With proper and persevering application of the above 
motto, you cannot fail to realize all reasonable expecta- 
tions. Avoid over-anxiety for a rapid increase; be 
satisfied with one good swarm from a stock annually — : 
your chances of future success are better than with a 
sudden increase of numbers. You will probably be 
obliged to discard some extravagant ideas of profits from 
the apiary. Yet you will find one stock trebling, per- 
haps quadrupling its price or value, in products, while 
One beside it does nothing. In particularly favorable 
seasons your stocks collectively will yield a profit of one 
or two hundred per cent, — in others hardly make a return 
for trouble. I have known the proceeds of a single co- 
lony in one season to amount to $35.00 ; and an apiary 
of ninety stocks to produce over $900, some of which 
added not a farthing to the amount. A bee-keeper in an 
adjoining county reports a profit of $1,800 from one 
hundred and thirty hives in a single season. The proper 
estimate can be made only after a number of years, when, 
if they have been judiciously managed, and your anti- 
cipations have not been too extravagant, you will be fully 
satisfied. 

I do not wish to induce any one to begin bee-keeping, 
and relinquish it in disgust and disappointment. But I 
would encourage all suitable persons to try their skill in 
bee-management. I say suitable persons, because there 
are many, very many, not qualified for the charge. 

The careless, inattentive man who leaves his bees un- 
noticed from October till May, is the one who will be 
likely to complain of want of success. 

Whoever cannot find time to give his bees the needed 
care, but can spend an hour a day in gossiping at the 



342 CONCLUSION". 

neighboring bar-room, is unfit for this business. But bow 
can be, who has a home, and finds his interest divided be- 
tween that and the idle attractions of the tavern, and 
wishes to withdraw from unprofitable associates, employ 
his time with a better prospect of success than in the care 
of bees ? They make ample returns for every attention. 

And the gain may not be altogether pecuniary. A great 
many points in their natural history are yet undiscovered, 
and the truth of many others disputed. "Would it not be 
a source of satisfaction to be able to contribute a few more 
facts upon this interesting subject, and thus hold a share 
in the general fund of scientific knowledge ? 

Granting all the mysteries pertaining to their economy 
to be discovered and elucidated, precluding all necessity 
of further investigation, would the study be dry and mo- 
notonous ? On the contrary, the daily verification of es- 
tablished facts would be so fascinating and instructive, 
that we could not avoid a sentiment of pity for the condi- 
tion of that man who finds gratification only in the gross 
and sensual. 

It has been remarked that " he who cannot find in this 
and other branches of natural history a salutary exercise 
for bis mental faculties, inducing a habit of observation 
and reflection, a pleasure so easily obtained, unalloyed by 
any debasing mixture — tending to expand and harmonize 
his mind, and elevate it to conceptions of the majestic, 
sublime, serene and beautiful arrangements instituted by 
the God of Nature, must possess an organization sadly 
deficient, or be surrounded by circumstances indeed la- 
mentable." I would recommend the study of the honey- 
bee, as one best calculated to awaken the interest of the 
indifferent. What can arrest the attention like their or- 
ganism — their diligence in collecting stores for the future 
— their secretion of wax and formation of it into struc- 
tures with a mathematical precision astonishing the pro- 



CONCLUSION. 343 

foundest philosophers — their maternal and fraternal affec- 
tion in regarding the mother's every want, and assiduous 
care in nursing her offspring to maturity, and their un- 
accountable display of instinct in emergencies, filling the 
beholders with wonder and amazement? The mind thus 
contemplating such wondrous operations, cannot avoid 
looking beyond these results to their Divine Author. 
Therefore let every mind that receives one ray of light 
from nature's mysterious transactions, and is capable of 
deriving the least enjoyment therefrom, pursue the path 
still inviting onward. 

Every new acquisition will yield an additional satisfac- 
tion and renewed courage for the next attempt which 
will be made with a constantly increasing zest ; and he 
will arise from the contemplation, a wiser, better, nobler 
being; far superior to those who have never looked 
beyond mere animal gratifications. 

Is there in the whole circle of nature's exhaustless store- 
house, any one science more inviting, more refining, and 
more exalting than this ? 



Acerrubrum 78 

" saccharinum 79 

After-swarms, How issuing 178 

" Queens of 179 

" Leaving hive 179 

" Not choosing weather. .179 

" Size of, etc 175 

" To return them 180 

Alder, Common or Candle "78 

Alnus serrulata . — 78 

Alsike or Swedish White Clover 81 

Altheea rosea 88 

Ants 233 

Aphis 85 

Apiarian, Qualifications for 833 

Apiary, Italianizing the 322 

" Location of 100 

" Location marked 102 

" Should not he moved.. 102 

Asclepias Cornuti. 82 

Aspen 78 



Basswood 83, 99 

Bee, Italian or Ligurian.. ..225, 308, 311, 318 

" " Disposition of. 314 

" " Purity of 318 

" " Bobbing Propensities of..313 

" " Swarming of \ 315 

Bee-bread in drone cells 91 

Bee-charms '■ 225 

Bee-houses Ill 

Unprofitable 107 

Bee-moth - 129, 231 

Bee-pasturage 76 

Bees, Age of 201 

" Anger of 221 

" Battles of 121 

" Before young commence labor.. 26 

" Black, for nurses 326 

" Burying 299 



Bees, Driving in cold weather 207 

" Enemies of .....228 

" Equalization of — 120 

" Examination of 149 

" Feeding of 122 

" For raising queens 325 

" Housing 296 

" How they attack 223 

" " togetridof 141 

'■ Improvement of 819 

" Injuring grain 89 

" In moth-webs 237,238 

" Issuing 15 8 

'• Killing 268 

" Lost on snow 305 

" Manner of feeding. ..124, 126, 127, 129 

" Nature of 20 

" Necessary to insure a crop 91 

" Necessities of 48 

" Paralyzing 271 

" Protection against ....227 

" Bough treatment of young 25 

" Sagacity of 263,261 

" Starvation of, in winter 287 

" Sting of 226 

" Swarming of 146 

" Terms applied to young 27 

" Transferring 259, 260, 262 

» " advantages of 294 

" Transporting 333, 338 

" Warm room for 294 

" Water lor 252,292 

" When boxes are taken off 141 

" When no swarm issues 35 

" Wintering 284 

" " after scarcity of honey 274 

» " Cellar for .295 

" " Straw-hive for 73 

" With dysentery 287 

Bottom board. Inclined 50 

Box, Making holes in when full. 137 

" Simple 804 

Boxes, Advantage of glass 139 



LNDEX. 



345 



Boxes, Putting on and taking off 135 

" Too eaay of access 13S 

" To prevent queen entering 139 

" Transferred 193 

" "When to take off 140 

Breeding and physiology 22 

" In large and small colonies.. 23 

Brood, Best time for 327 

" Diseased 210 

" " cause and remedy 212 

" " description of 211,216 

" " examination of 218 

i_ " " Mr. Wagner's view of..217 
" "When they begin to rear 22 

Buckwheat 89,99 

Button-ball 88 

C 

Cat-bird 230 

Catnip 80 

Cells, Containing honey for daily use. . 95 

" For drones 251 

" For rearing queens 29 

" Uniformity of .252 

Cephalanthus occidentalis 88 

Chamber hive 49 

Cherry, Wild 79 

Chickens eat drones 230 

Chrysalis 27 

Clover , 80, 81, 99 

Clustering bushes 161 

Colonies, Deserting when destitute.... 124 

" Inclined to rob. 267 

" Selecting for winter 266 

Size of 285 

" When to feed 124 

Conclusion 340 

Comb, Commencement of 247 

" Constructed as needed 96 

" Crooked 250 

" Melting of 254 

" Removing 279 

" Straight 250 



Dandelion 79 

Diervilla triflda 81 

Disease 210 

" Cause and remedy 212 

" Description of 211 

" Manner of spreading 216 

. " Mr. Wagner's view of 217 

Diseased brood, Knowledge of. 220 

Drone and worker-combs ...191 

Drone cells 251 

Drone-comb 195 

Drone-combs, Too many 192 

1* 



Drone eggs, Theories about unimpreg- 

nated 39, 40 

" When laid 86 

Drone-layers 36, 37 

Drones 19 

" Ageof 20 

" Colony for 321 

" Destroyed before swarming 33 

" Eaten by chickens 230 

" Needed 197 

" Number of 35 

" Theories relative to 36 

" "When met by queen 29 

" "When reared 33 

" "Why sometimes killed 152 

Dysentery among bees 287 

E 

Eggs, Number laid by queen 30, 31 

" Of drones, When laid 36 

" When they hatch 25 

F 

Feeding, A last .resort 122 

" Care in 123 

" Manner of 126 

Object of 127 

" Promiscuous 129 

" When best 277 

" Refuse honey, 281 

Flowers of fruits 79 

" Yielding pollen first 78 

Fruit flowers, Important 79 

Fumigator 271 

G 

Glass boxes, Advantage of. 139 

Grub 27 

Guide-comb 64 

H 

Hamamselis Virginiana 88 

Hive, Accessibility of 265 

" Chamber 49 

" Changeable 51 

" Common box 58, 61,304 

" Dividing 50 

" Farmer's 57 

" In cold weather 317 

" Italianizing the box 330 

" Moth-proof 54,134 

" Movable comb 66 

" " How made 68 

" To use... 171, 191, 194 

" Non-swarmer 55 

" Observatory 75 

" Of straw, for winter ,73 



346 



INDEX. 



Hive, Proper size of 58 

" Setting out 297 

" Suspended 50 

" Top of, not fastened 62 

" Ventilating 54 

Hives 40 

" Best cover for 107 

" Certificates and premiums for.... 47 

" Cheap stand for 104 

" Desirabilities of 05 

" Discovery about 49 

" Furnished for trial 48 

" Housed for winter 107 

" Malting holes in when full 293 

" No patent for 40 

" Of different colors 109 

" Principles of 49 

" Remedy when crowded 317 

" Setting out 297 

" Shade for 305 

" Should be ready 154 

" Space between 103 

" Straw 300 

" Too high 105 

" With inclined bottoms 50 

" Worms in.. _. 243 

Hoarhound 80 

Holl yh ock 88 

Honey-boxes 63 

" " Transferred 193 

Honey and wax, Straining .279 

" Best season for 98 

" Discharging 94 

" Distance bees will go for 100 

" Feeding refuse 281 

" From buckwheat 89 

" From one swarm 250 

" In boxes in the hive 192 

" In cells for daily use 95 

" Principal sources of 77 

Substitute for 77 

" The first 79 

" To secure from worms 143 

Honey-dew 85 

Honeysuckle, Bush 81 

I 
Introductory 17 

K 
King-bird, A word for 229 

L. 

Larva 27 

Laying 24 

Leonurus Cardiaca 80 

Leucanthemum vulgare 81 

Linaria vulgaris 81 



Linden 84 

Liriodendron Tulipifera 83 

Locust 79 

M 

Making box-hives 61 

" honey-boxes 63 

" movable comb-hives 68 

Mallows 88 

Malva rotundifolia 88 

Maple, Ked 78 

Sugar 79 

Marrubium vulgare 80 

Metheglin and vinegar 281 

Mice 304 

Mice and rats 229 

Mignonette 88 

Milkweed, Singular fatality of. 82 

Moth 234 

" Destruction of 241 

" In hives 243 

" Remedies for 244 

" "Where deposits its eggs 236 

Moth-proof hives 54, 134 

Moth- worm, Destruction of 129 

" Found in best stocks 129 

" Fears the bees 130 

" How destroyed ,131 

" In centre of comb 237 

In old stocks 239 

" Size of 240 

" Troubles small colonies. .181 

Motherwort 80 

Mustard. 84 

N 

Nepeta Cataria 80 

Nyniph 2Y 

O 

Ox-eye, Daisy 81 



Pasturage for bees 76 

Physiology and breeding 22 

Plant-louse 85 

Pollen, flowers yielding first 78 

" Manner of discharging 94 

" Manner of packing 77 

" Substitute for 76 

" Two kfhds in one cell 92 

Populus tremuloides 78 

Propolis 256 

" Abundance of 258 

Wax instead of. 257 

Pruning 205, 209 

Prunus serotina 79 

i Pupa........ 27 



HSTDEX. 



347 



Queen, Age and office of. 18 

" Description of 17 

*' Finding black 328 

" Introduction of. . , 329 

" Leaves hive to meet drone.. 29, 198 

" Maturing of 27 

" Number of eggs will lay 30 

" One destroys others 184 

" Piping of 176 

" Presence of. 32,93, 331 

" Question about her leaving. . . .195 

" Kegard of -workers for 18 

" Similarity of eggs with worker.. 28 

" Time to lay eggs 193 

" Transporting the 332 

". When the old leaves 35, 153 

" Toung takes place of the old 

one 35 

Queen-cells, Introduction of. 190 

" Artificial 323 

" Black bees nurses for.., 326 

Queens, cells for rearing 29 

" Destroyed before swarming... 33 

" Laying 24 

" Loss of 195, 200, 203 

" Loss of and remedy 201,203 

" Mixing of 321 

" Obtaining bees for 325 

" Ovaries of 41 

" Kaising and introducing 323 

" Reared in swarming liives. ... 33 

" Replacing 109 

" Time of leaving 199 

" To obtain bees for 325 

" Variations in color of 319 

" When lost 198 

R 

Eats and mice 229 

Ked Clover 80 

Red Raspberry 80 

Removing combs 279 

Renewing combs 209 

Reseda odorata 88 

Rhus glabra 84 

Robbers, when to look out for 116 

" First indication of 117 

" Remedies for 118 

Robbing, Not understood 113 

" Difficulty in deciding 117 

" Weak colonies in danger of..H5 

Robinia Pseudacia 79 

Rubus strigosus,' 80 

Rumex Acetosella SO 



S 



Sails Vitellina 79,85 

Shade 305 

Silkweed, Singular fatality of 82 

Sinapis nigra 84 

Skunk-Cabbage 78 

Smoker 224 

Snap-dragon 81 

Sorrel 80 

Spiders 234 

Stand for hives, Cheap 104 

Sting of bee 226 

Stings, Remedy for 227 

Stocks, Causes of weakness 268 

How many to keep 9Y 

Old not objectionable 336 

Purchasing 33? 

Requisites of 267 

Uniting 275 

Uniting poor 269 

Straining honey and was 279 

Sumach J 84 

Swarm-clusters 155 

Swarm, honey from one 250 

Swarming 146 

How to doit 155 

Indications of 148, 154 

of Italian or Ligurian bee. ..315 

Preparations for , 20, 150 

When commences 147 

Swarms, After, uniting 182 

" troublesome 183 

" rulefor 183 

" how issuing 178 

" number of queens of. .179 
" not choosing weather.,179 
" leaving parent hive .... 179 

" to return them 180 

" size of, etc 175 

Artificial 185 

" perplexities with. . . .185 

" workwell 186 

" first experience with.186 

" how to make 188 

" placing stands for. ..189 

" queen-cell for 190 

" drone-combs for 191 

" with movable combs 

191, 194 

Choosing weather 174, 175 

Clustering bushes for 161 

Driving in cold weather 207 

First enough 165 

How far they will go 164 

How to divide 167 

How to keep separate 166 

Loss of, by flight 103 



348 



INDEX. 



Swarms, Second, size of 175 

" " when expected 175 

" Selecting a home 164 

" Shade important for 160 

'• Should all he made to enter. .159 

" Sometimes return 173 

" Times of issuing 177 

" To divide in movable comb- 
hives 171 

" To put in movable comb- 
hives 160 

United 270 

" Water necessary for 252 

•' When on the wing 167 

" When they issue 151 

Swedish white Clover or Alsike 81 

Symphoricarpus fcetidus 78 

T 

Theory, Mr. Wagner's, of drone-eggs... 39 

" Mr. Harbison's, do 40 

Tilia Americana 83 

Toad ,-. ? 83i 

Toad-flax 81 

Transferring bees 259-265 

Transporting bees 333 

queen 332 

V 

Vinegar and metheglin. 281 j 



W 

Warmth 234,285 

Wasp, black 233 

Wax 245 

" Abundance of 258 

" Honey consumed for 53 

" How obtained 246 

" Instead of propolis 257 

" Making 282 

" Wasted..... 251,282 

White clover 80 

White-wood 83 

Witch-hazel, Unusual secretion of. — 86 

Willows 78,85 

" Golden 79 

Wintering bees 284, 295 

" Building for 298 

•' " Straw-hives for .'73 

Worker and queen-eggs 28 

Workers 19 

Ageof 19 

Worm, Destruction of 241 

" In old stocks 239 

'" Sizeof 240 

Worms, How they get in 144 

" In centre of comb 237 

In hives 243 

" Remedy for 145, 244 

" To secure honey from 143 

Wren, Box for 185 



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